Prayers for Workers:
When People are Attacking You

LORD, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.”
But you, LORD, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
I call out to the LORD,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
I lie down and sleep;
     I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.

Psalm 3:1-5 (NRSV)

Prelude:

Conflict in the workplace is a sad but common implication of the brokenness of work in a sin-stained world. Sometimes that conflict becomes especially bitter and personal. Colleagues, competitors, subordinates, and even your superiors can attack you, not only your work, but even your character.

The following prayer is meant for people who are being besieged in the workplace. If you’re not experiencing this now, thank be to God! You may want to pray this prayer on behalf of others. Or you may wish to save it until you need it.

Prayer:

Gracious Lord, I cry out to you in pain and desperation. People are attacking me at work, saying things about me that aren’t true, gossiping behind my back, trying to undermine me. It seems as if they’re trying to drive me away, to get me to quit. Lord, to be sure I am not completely blameless. I do get things wrong sometimes. But what I’m experiencing now seems terribly unfair, unwarranted, and disproportionate.

O Lord, you are a shield around me. You protect me. You hem me in.

You are my glory, dear Lord, the one who lifts up my head from shame. You are my reason for living, the one how gives my life meaning.

So I cry out to you now, counting on the fact that you will answer me. Because I know you are there for me, my sleepless nights are over. You help me to rest. You sustain me with renewing sleep.

All praise be to you, Lord, because you are my Deliverer, my Helper, my Savior. Amen.

Ponder Throughout the Day:

The Lord is a shield around you.

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Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Commentary on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Bringing Our Enemies and Opponents to God (Psalms 4, 6, 7, 17)