Prayers for Workers: When Your Unhappiness at Work Goes On and On
How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
…..
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
Psalm 13:1-2, 5
Prelude:
More than ever in my memory, it seems that job transitions happen all the time. Given the ample employment in the U.S. economy these days, millions of people feel free to leave one job even before they have found the next. Yet some folks do not have such freedom, perhaps because of their particular work situation or the responsibility they bear to support a family. And, though some of these workers are surely glad for the work they have, others suffer in jobs that are consistently painful. They have, as Psalm 13 says, “sorrow in their hearts.” A good friend of mine shared that the first word that comes to mind when he thinks of work is “suffering.”
The following prayer is meant especially for people who are stuck in jobs that are debilitating and discouraging. If you are in this situation, then this prayer is for you. But if you are currently thriving in your work, you may have a friend or family member who is not. You may want to pray this prayer on their behalf, or even forward it to them.
Prayer:
How long, Lord?
How long? Indeed!
You see me in this job.
You feel my pain and discouragement.
Yet here I am, stuck, without relief, and without hope.
How long, Lord?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
Now, I believe you have not forgotten me. I really do.
But, honestly, it feels like you have forgotten me. It really does.
Also, I know that you have not hidden your face from me.
Yet I wonder how you can look upon me and not help.
I need your deliverance, Lord.
I don’t know what else to do.
O Lord, help me to trust in your unfailing love,
even when I’m discouraged, even when I feel so alone.
Save me, Lord, so that I might rejoice in your salvation.
Allow me to taste your goodness so my heart might praise you anew. Amen.
Ponder Throughout the Day
No matter what, I will trust in God’s unfailing love today.
Explore more at The High Calling archive, hosted by the Theology of Work Project:
How Long Will God Forget Me?
Mark D. Roberts
Senior Strategist
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Strategist for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders,...