Christian
Nursing 101
Inf luence Your Practice: Pray!
C hristian nurses may associate
prayer as an intervention
in providing spiritual care,
yet prayer is elemental to our profes-
sional development. While striving
to permeate our personal lives with
prayer, we can infuse “unceasing
prayer” into our nursing practice
(1 Thessalonians 5:17).
At first glance, praying for our
patients seems the highest priority.
This is important. However, praying
for one’s self and the work we’ve
been called to takes precedence. The
Apostle Paul’s call to pray “unceas-
ingly” is relevant for nurses today:
So we have not stopped praying
for you since we first heard about
you. We ask God to give you
complete knowledge of his will and
to give you spiritual wisdom and
understanding.Then the way you live
will always honor and please the
Lord, and your lives will produce
every kind of good fruit. All the while,
you will grow as you learn to know
God better and better.We also pray
that you will be strengthened with
all his glorious power so you will
have all the endurance and patience
you need. May you be filled with
joy, always thanking the Father. He
has enabled you to share in the
inheritance that belongs to his people,
who live in the light. (Colossians
1:9-12, NLT)
Carrie M. Dameron, MSN,
RN-BC, is an advanced certified
medical-surgical nurse and Assistant
Professor of nursing at Ohlone Col-
lege in Fremont, California. She serves
as an on-call nurse for acute care hos-
pitals in Oakland and authors www.
nurses4him.org, a resource for Christian nurses.
The author declares no conflict of interest.
DOI:10.1097/CNJ.0b013e318239b3b6
10 JCN/Volume 29, Number 1 journalofchristiannursing.com
Copyright © 2012 InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
By Carrie M. Dameron
The Lord’s Prayer found in Mat-
thew 6: 9-13 and Luke 11:1-4, as
well as Psalm 23 are other examples
to guide and strengthen our nursing
practice.
In 1 Timothy 2:1 we are reminded
to pray for those in authority. This
includes CEOs,VPs, directors, and
managers. Pray for them to experi-
ence God’s love and grace, be wise in
making decisions, and have a heart
for patient care and their employees.
Luke 10:2 reminds us to pray for more
“workers for the harvest,”—pray for
At first glance, praying
for our patients seems
the highest priority.
connections with other Christians
in our facilities and units to further
Kingdom work.
Influence your practice setting by
praying for your colleagues. When they
share personal and/or family trials, let
them know you are praying for them,
and if possible, take a moment and
pray with them. Demonstrate Christ’s
love and your love through prayer (1
Corinthians 16:14). Make praying for
your facility, colleagues, and staff part
of your nursing practice.
As we think about praying for
work and our colleagues we may be
reminded of someone with whom
we struggle. We may not call them
enemies, but it may be someone with
whom our personality clashes, is
difficult to work with, or someone
who is negative. Regardless, Jesus
tells us to pray for them (Matthew
5:44; Luke 6:28). They may be
hurting, angry, or alone and need a
loving presence in their lives: Jesus
and you!
I placed praying for patients last
because I want to encourage you to
pray for yourself, your work place,
and your colleagues first. We are
naturally and spiritually drawn to
bring our patients to the Holy Spirit,
but sometimes we struggle with time
limitations and wording. A simple
solution is to pray for your patients
and families during your morning
devotion, drive to work, or after report/
receiving your assignment. Then as
the day or shift goes along be open to
promptings of the Holy Spirit to silently
lift up acutely ill patients, challenging
diagnoses, or patients and/or colleagues
with insurmountable needs, remem-
bering that the Holy Spirit intercedes
for us in prayer (Romans 8:26-27).
Mary Elizabeth O’Brien writes,
“For each of us the creative way of
finding time to prayerfully practice
the presence of God in our nursing
day will be different. But to do so
not only will bless and enrich our
practice but also bring a sense of peace
and equanimity to our often stressful
nursing lives. I believe that such
prayerfulness is an absolute necessity
if we are to treat our patients with
the care and compassion of the gospel
message of Jesus, and if we are to
approach our patients cloaked in a
mantle of compassionate caring”
(O’Brien, 2003, p.18). Prayer is
foundational to our personal and
professional life. “Unceasing” prayer
occurs when we purposefully apply
and respond to the Lord’s presence
in all areas of our work. 
O’Brien, M. E. (2003). Prayer in nursing: The Spiritual-
ity of compassionate caregiving. Sudbury, MA: Jones and
Bartlett.