Of the 132 instances recorded in the Gospels, 122 of Jesus’ interactions with people took place in homes or places of business, not in places of worship. He prayed and healed and ministered in the midst of daily life – in the streets of the marketplaces and in the family kitchens. He may have said, “Come to Me,” but in truth, He went to people and touched them where they lived and worked.
As you pray for those whose lives you touch, determine how you might pray for workplaces in your area as well. Ask God to make you sensitive to the needs and hurts of people you encounter at the dry cleaner, the pharmacy, or your favorite restaurant. Know that He wants the lazy checker at the grocery store to experience the depths of His love. Practice saying, “Can I pray for you?” when you encounter people in various workplaces and businesses.
You’ll be surprised at how open people are to receiving prayer in the workplace. Today the workplace is experiencing a wave of spiritual receptivity as more and more people carry their spiritual hunger to work, and as companies discover the value of investing in the spiritual health of their employees. Large corporations are hiring chaplains to minister to their workers, and Bible studies and prayer groups are cropping up in offices and break rooms all over the country. If enough lighthouses extended their prayer reach, beyond the neighborhoods to the businesses in their communities, we might just see a revival sweep through the marketplace of America!
Your daily contact with people in the workplace gives you the opportunity to pray for them and care for them.
Written by Dr. Terry Teyki. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Content distributed by WorkLife.org > used for non-profit teaching purposes only.
Posted on Thu, August 27, 2015 by WorkLife
worklife.org
Fluorescent lights flicker on as bright chunks of sunlight slip through cracks in the blinds. The aroma of brewing coffee wafts though the air amidst quiet conversations between co-workers serenaded by the chirps of awakening computer monitors.
It’s morning in corporate America.
What are your morning office rituals? Perhaps you check your inbox, chat with coworkers, or head straight to the coffee pot. Maybe you choose to spend a few minutes alone in the quiet of your office or cubicle.
These still moments are a precious commodity to savor before the onslaught of the workday.
We all have rituals and routines in the office. These rhythms shape the outcome of our days. Think about the last time you missed your morning cup of coffee. Most likely the quality of your workday suffered!
Rituals and routines matter and yet Christians often disregard what should be the most important workplace habit: prayer.
The Importance of Prayer in the Workplace
Most Christians limit the cultivation of habits of prayer to a few words said over the dinner table or before bed. Yet, if there is no sacred-secular divide, why would we limit our habits of prayer to the church and forget the cubicle?
If all of work is worship, should we not regularly offer up our labors in prayer to the Lord?
Perhaps the most important function of prayer is that it postures us correctly before God and others. Prayer tells the truth about who we are as people.
Tim Keller emphasizes the important posturing nature of prayer:
It is the way we know God, the way we finally treat God as God.
Prayer is the way we treat God as God. Is this not essential to our work?
In acknowledging that he is Lord, the One in ultimate control, we experience the freedom to be human. There is a blessed humility resulting from prayer that will inevitably percolate through our interactions with co-workers, supervisors, and subordinates.
Right posture before God leads to right posture before others.
Gaining Perspective from Prayer
In addition to humility, prayer offers the peace of an eternal perspective that comes from acknowledging God as real and present. Again, from Keller:
Prayer is like waking up from a nightmare to reality. We laugh at what we took so seriously inside the dream. We realize that all is truly well.
Prayer provides the ultimate perspective over our lives. As Paul writes in Romans 8:31-32,
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Being secure in our status as children of God, we can face the day with courage and confidence.
Tomorrow morning, as you enter the office, consider spending a few moments in prayer to prepare for the day. There is great joy and peace to be discovered in making prayer an office habit. And of course, don’t miss that all-too-important morning cup of Joe.
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tifwe.org
Praying for Success
Majestic Creator, the LORD of our success, we seek opportunities to exhibit the wisdom, strength and understanding You have bestowed unto us. We humbly seek opportunities that go beyond all the strife, we seek courage to strive and to dare to be divinely different.
Heavenly father, when we are successful, let it be according to Your Word. Let our faith and our honor be held high that we may be true representatives of You on this earth.
Philippians 4:19 My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 112:3 Wealth and riches are in his house. His righteousness endures forever.
Oh Lord, let our faith and our honor be held high that we may be true representatives of You. Click To Tweet
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Lord’s Guidance To Success
JEHOVAH GOD, our LORD who holds ALL matters of life in His Hands, grant us success in whatever work or business with which You have Blessed us. Help us to give these tools of our trade the careful thought and the strict attention that will lead to Success.
LORD, watch over us and govern our actions, that we may not mar the perfection of Your Plans for us. Show us how to give our very best. Let us not hate the hard work and diligence that is necessary to complete our success.
Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the Lord with your substance, with the first fruits of all your increase: so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
Joshua 1:9 Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Do not be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.
Blessings in the Workplace
Almighty Father, even if our supervisors, managers, employees or even our customers, are creating chaos and mayhem in our place of employ or business, let us continue performing, as if we are working directly unto You, with cheerful hearts.
Let every challenging duty come to us, as if it is coming directly from You. Father, give us the blessings of Your Divine help and guidance, and suffer us not to fail. LORD, let us remember You when we receive the fruit of our success.
We will bless You with Your tithes and offerings, as it is You who gave us the power to succeed. WE praise and bless your name. In JESUS’ Majestic and Mighty name we pray… AMEN!!!
Proverbs 2:6-8 For the Lord gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.
He lays up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity; that he may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of his saints.
Father, give us the blessings of Your Divine help and guidance, and suffer us not to fail. Click To Tweet
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QUESTION: Is prayer in workplace allowed by law?
ANSWER:
Is prayer in the workplace allowed by law? A similar question of faith in the workplace occurred in Bowling Green, Kentucky. A librarian was fired for wearing a cross necklace to work. A federal court declared the library policy unconstitutional and said it violated the Free Speech and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment.
“This is a very important decision that underscores the fact that employees have constitutional rights to express their faith in the workplace so long as that expression does not interfere with the work setting,” said Frank Manion, Senior Counsel of the ACLJ, which represents the library employee. “The fact that our client was fired for wearing a cross pendant on a necklace to work is not only absurd but unconstitutional as well. This decision sends an important message that employers cannot discriminate against employees who choose to express their religious beliefs in the workplace.”
If you are considering a prayer meeting or religious event at your workplace, it is wise to consult your employer.
When we look at the Bible and the life of Jesus, we see He often prayed outside of a house of worship. He prayed in the workplace, in the open, and in the home.
Our nation was founded with prayer in mind. God is mentioned on our money, “In God We Trust.” Our United States courts swear people in using the words, “So help me God.” God and prayer are definitely in the workplace.
The United States constitution includes the following, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Based upon this statement, the many times that the United States government has included God in inaugurations, court proceedings, legal documents, and currency has set a precedent that prayer in the workplace is allowed.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
– We have all
sinned
and deserve God’s judgment.
God
, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him.
Jesus
, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He
died
for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was
buried
, and
rose from the dead
according to the
Bible
. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your
Savior
, declaring, “
Jesus is Lord
,” you will be saved from
judgment
and spend eternity with God in heaven.
What is your response?
Yes, today I am deciding to follow JesusYes, I am already a follower of JesusI still have questions
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