52 Workday Prayers: Psalm 25 - Seeking God’s Guidance for Everything at Work

Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.

Psalm 25:4-5

Prayer

Lord, today I ask for your guidance. With the psalm writer I pray, “Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.” Show me today how I should walk in order to honor your and contribute to your work in the world.

There was a time, Lord, when I would pray like this about my work, though limiting your guidance to only certain aspects of my work life. I’d want you to guide me in my relationships, ethics, and witness. It was right to ask for your help with these things. And I still need it!

But now I understand that you care about so much more in my work. In fact, you care about everything: how I think and plan, how I act and speak, how I manage and sell, how I create and lead, I how I sow and reap. Whether I’m cranking out a spreadsheet, building a cabinet, or standing against racism in my workplace, you care. It all matters to you. So, when I ask you to know your ways, I mean in every part of my work.

The psalm writer says “I wait for you all day long.” This reminds me that my openness to you shouldn’t end when I say “Amen” at the conclusion of this prayer. I need to keep our line of communication open, to keep on speaking to you and listening for you. Teach me, Lord, to wait for you throughout my day, in all I do.

May I work today with you, for you, in you, and for your glory. Amen.

Ponder Throughout the Day

God will guide you in all you do today at work, if you seek him and his paths.

For Further Reflection

Read all of Psalm 25, paying attention to what the Spirit of God is stirring up in your heart, especially in relationship to your work. Talk with God about what you are thinking and feeling.

Once again let me recommend a book by a friend of mine. Terry Looper is a business leader who has learned how to seek and receive God’s guidance for every part of life, including his work. He has shared how to let God be your chief counselor in his fine book, Sacred Pace: Four Steps to Hearing God and Aligning Yourself With His Will. You can find my review of Sacred Pace here. Also, Terry and I have created an interactive learning module on the Fuller Formation digital platform. You may want to check out: Inviting God Into Work Decisions.

This prayer is part of a collection: 52 Workday Prayers: Learn from the Psalms How to Pray through Your Work. To purchase this devotional and small group guide, visit the De Pree Center store.