December 6, 2019 • Life for Leaders
Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun..
Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
Do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Psalm 37:5-7 (NIV)
Prelude:
In this season of Advent, as we prepare for celebrating the birth of the Savior, our Friday “Prayers for Workers” will express Advent themes, such as waiting and hoping. If you’d like to learn more about Advent, you might want to read this piece I wrote called “What Is Advent?”
Prayer:
Lord, I confess that there are times when I am quite fretful. Yes, I can worry about others whose success in their work surpasses mine. I can become anxious, wondering if I’m stewarding well the gifts you have given me. I can doubt that I’m walking in the way you would have me go.
I ask for your guidance, but sometimes you are frustratingly quiet. You may be speaking, but I’m not hearing you. Or, for your own reasons, you are choosing to be silent. It’s hard to wait on you, Lord. Sometimes you seem so slow.
Help me, I pray, to be still before you, to wait patiently for you. May the themes of Advent pervade, not just my devotional life, but also my work life. Even when I’m not sure how I should go, may I commit my life to you, living for you each day, trusting you in every part of my life. May I know in mind and heart that you are honored as I wait for you, seeking your glory above all else. Amen.
Ponder Throughout the Day:
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him (Psalm 37:7).
Explore more at The High Calling archive, hosted by the Theology of Work Project:
Best of Daily Reflections: Real Simple
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, and the founder of the De Pree Center’s Flourishing in the Third Third of Life Initiative. Previously, Mark was the Executive Director of the De Pree Center, the lead pastor of a church in Southern California, and the Senior Director of Laity Lodge in Texas. He has written eight books, dozens of articles, and over 2,500 devotions that help people discover the difference God makes in their daily life and leadership. With a Ph.D. in New Testament from Harvard, Mark teaches at Fuller Seminary, most recently in his D.Min. cohort on “Faith, Work, Economics, and Vocation.” Mark is married to Linda, a marriage and family counselor, spiritual director, and executive coach. Their two grown children are educators on the high school and college level.
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So helpful – thank you! Sometimes, the thorns & thistles of work make me want to give up. This is a timely reminder to wait patiently upon the Lord. He is in control and is working all things together for good for those who love Him!