Many people have more than one job or balance competing roles of full-time work and parenting.

It isn't surprising that so many of us feel we need to seek God's protection in the workplace to cope with new challenges that emerge every day.

The most powerful protection prayer for your workday is the Lord's Prayer, which tells us about forgiveness and acceptance:

“Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy Name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done,

On Earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

and the power,

and the glory,

for ever and ever.

Amen.”

Some of the biggest challenges in the modern workplace that we need protection from are around our mental health — particularly as many of us are working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Working remotely has eroded the normal separation we have between our home lives and our working lives. Prayer and meditation can keep us grounded.

Our working lives are often stressful — but through prayer, we can ask our Heavenly Father to support and protect us through our daily difficulties.

When you are trying to find motivation for your work, consider Proverbs 29:18: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." 

Finding motivation at work is about finding a vision of creativity and success in your working day. Maintaining a productive life is what God wishes for us, and it starts by working from a place of gratitude. 

It’s also about creating a vision for your future and knowing how we are using our work to glorify God. 

Psalm 90:17 gives us a way to ask God for help in our workday:  “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us.” 

Colossians 3:23 inspires us and tells us to work from the heart: “Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people.” 

The Bible reminds us that God’s love makes us stronger and better able to cope with the obstacles that life throws at us, including in our workdays. We can find motivation at work with His help, and prayer is a great avenue we can use to communicate with him our wishes and struggles.

When you are between jobs, both your confidence and your finances may be suffering.

In these trials, you can ask God for reassurance that you will be okay. And, we should try to remember that abundance comes from faith, hard work, and gratitude. 

Try using this morning prayer to give you more confidence on the day of a job interview:

“Dear God, I thank You that even though my last job ended, Your favor is over me in this job-seeking process. I thank You that I have been invited to interview, and now I ask for Your divine counsel as I prepare. Help me know how to communicate optimistically and energetically, and how I can champion my skill set, and explain how it can be used in this new role. Amen.” 

When you are searching for a new job, you need to build up your self-esteem. You need to remember that as a child of God, you are worthy and talented, even during challenging times in life. 

Use the following prayer to help with finding a job and building your confidence:

“Dear Lord Jesus, losing my job has been like having a rug pulled out from under me. I find myself doubting my ability, second-guessing my actions, and wondering if I’ll ever find satisfactory employment. Lord, please boost my confidence, so that I have the strength to press on. Remind me of all that I can offer a new employer, and help me be able to articulate that clearly in applications and interviews. Amen.”

The gospels are full of stories about people overcoming great struggles in their lives. In addition to prayer, you can use inspirational Bible verses to give you strength when you face challenges like trying to find a new job.

Here are five short prayers to help you through your working day:

Prayer for office workers

You can use this prayer to pray over your office as a whole:

“Heavenly Father, 

Follow me throughout my workday and fill our office with inspiration and goodwill. 

Help my colleagues to work together as a team and to enjoy our collaboration.

Help us to be efficient and achieve all our tasks and meet our deadlines. 

Remove any ill-will between team members and make our workplace harmonious.

Bless us 

Oh Lord, Amen

Prayers for harmonious teamwork

This work prayer is based on Phillippians 2:14-15:

“Holy Spirit, 

Help me to work with my teammates without grumbling or questioning.
Inspire us to work harmoniously as a team.

Help us to understand that we are all children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.

Teach me to be completely humble and gentle and patient with my colleagues.

Amen.”

Prayer for strength at work

When you are lacking the strength to make it through the workday, this prayer based on Colossians 3:23-24 can give you the boost you need: 

“Almighty God, 

I pray that You give my co-workers and I strength to complete the tasks set for us. I pray that whatever I do, I work with all my heart, as working for You, not for human masters, since I know that I will receive an inheritance from You as a reward. It is You who I am serving, it is You who I pray is the center of my workplace and the hearts of my co-workers. 

Amen.”

Prayer for gratitude at work

Bishop Charles Lewis Slattery wrote a prayer that is perfect for thanking the Lord for our work and asking for the strength to get through it:

“Almighty God, 

thank Thee for the job of this day.

May we find gladness in all its toil and difficulty,

its pleasure and success, and even in its failure and sorrow.

We would look always away from ourselves,

and behold the glory and the need of the world

that we may have the will and the strength to bring

the gift of gladness to others; that with them we stand to bear

the burden and heat of the day and offer Thee the praise of work well done.

Amen.”

Prayer for the end of the workday

Consider offering this prayer at the end of every workday, giving thanks for your blessings from Jesus Christ:

“Heavenly Father, 

Thank you for all the ways you’ve blessed me, specifically with this job that pays my bills and puts food on my table. Thank you that all work has significance because work is good. Help me bring you glory today, through my actions, my words, through the good work I do to bring order to my little corner of the world. Help me view my work as a blessing and not a curse. Give me grace and strength for the hardest aspects of my job. 

In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

We spend at least 1/3 of our lives at work, so it’s no surprise that this area of our life could use some divine inspiration from God. 

Some of us work from home while others travel to an office, factory, or shop floor. Some of us work more than one job to support ourselves or our family. 

There is no question that our working lives are complicated, with many of us working longer hours with much more stress. Many of us have financial worries or fears about losing employment. 

Setting aside some quiet time in the mornings before your workday commences for some devotional prayer and meditation can put you in the right frame of mind. By offering prayers to our Heavenly Father, we are trusting Him to walk with us during our workdays.

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