Four Prayers For Difficult Workplaces
Over and over again in the scriptures we are instructed to pray. We are instructed to pray unceasingly and relentlessly. We pray, not because it makes God more inclined to help us, but because prayer makes us more attuned to Him.
Often the results of prayer are not altered circumstances, but shifted hearts and attitudes.
And this is especially true for our jobs.
Workplaces can be difficult. Bosses can be challenging, coworkers can grate on nerves, and the work itself may be grueling or lackluster.
It’s easy to be sucked into the gossip, the negativity, the blame-game, or cynicism. However, the bible makes it clear that following Jesus means living more than a moralistically good life during the week. It’s instruction to something more profound, that is the work of God’s kingdom.
A Prayer For A Servant’s Heart
“Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without complaining. As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another. If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.”- 1 Peter 4:8-11
“Jesus, I confess my heart is hardened to always choose me first in my workplace. I grumble when I have to help my coworker, I whine about the troubles of the job, and I do not honor my boss. Thank you for the skills you have given me, show me how to utilize them well in this workplace to glorify your name above my own. Soften my heart to serve first, to speak thoughtfully, and to extend grace to those I encounter today. Give me the humility to remember that my life is surrendered to you and not to the complaints of my human nature. Let me be hospitable to each person, and a servant to all.”
A Prayer For Endurance
“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”– 2 Chronicles 15:7
“Thank you for this job, thank you for the ability to work. Right now, I feel tired. I feel burned out. I feel like it would be easier to quit. Jesus, give me the strength to combat bitterness. Give me exactly what I need to finish today well. I pray for a rested spirit, and for opportunities to bless this job instead of cursing it. If there is a job I would better serve your kingdom, then lead me from this job. However, keep my heart from discontentment and comparison. Open my eyes to see the needs in this workplace. Give me strength when I rise every morning to seek the good of this workplace and hope to rise relentlessly every single work day in pursuit of that good.
A Prayer For Broken Workplaces
"Seek the peace and prosperity of the CITY. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:7
“Jesus, I acknowledge the pain, discord, and tension in my workplace. It is dysfunctional at best, and emotionally damaging at worse. I pray for the peace and spiritual prosperity of my workplace. Use me as your hands and feet to reach out to a coworker in pain. May I serve as a person of peace in my workplace. I pray for healing, spiritually, emotionally, mentality, and verbally. Let this workplace function from a place of unity and respect. Bring forgiveness and repentance. I pray for ignorance in my heart to the frustrations and resentment that aggravate me, and discernment instead to choose love over hate. I pray that this workplace would look more like you in a year, and that you would have your way here.”
A Prayer In The Grind
“And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you.”- 1 Thessalonians 4:11
“It is tempting to become discontent and disillusioned, Jesus, when I don’t want to rise. When I don’t want to do the monotonous tasks, when I feel bored by the tasks at hand, I pray for a heart of curiosity. Give me a heart of appreciation for the mundane of my day. I pray that even if the paperwork doesn’t fascinate me, I find a new way to seek your face and the good of my workplace when I file that paper the same way I do every day. Remind me that you designed the mundane. I ask for joy to rejoice over the grind of my workday as a gift from my creator. Thank you, God.”
What are prayers or verses that have encouraged you in your workplace?
What has been the most challenging part of bringing your faith into your workplace?
How can you serve God in your job this week?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mia Grace loves sunflowers, words, old hardcover books, and fountain pens. She adores Jesus Christ, and seeks to listen and obey him in her life. Her life verse is Isaiah 52:7, and her prayer is for every girl to grasp the height, weight, depth, width, and power of Christ's love for them.