Remember God as You Work
Scripture – Isaiah 17:10-11 (NIV)
You have forgotten God your Savior; you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you set out the finest plants and plant imported vines, though on the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud, yet the harvest will be as nothing in the day of disease and incurable pain.
Focus
It’s easy to forget about God when we’re busy working. We can focus on the tasks at hand, and also the challenges and opportunities. It can feel as if we’re working on our own. But, in fact, God is present. God is working around us and through us. If we want our work to be truly fruitful, then we must remember God.
Devotion
When we think about the cost of forgetting God, we are apt to think of “spiritual” things. When we forget God, we fail to worship him. When we forget God, we cut ourselves off from his guidance. When we forget God, we lose a strong sense of our life’s purpose.
No doubt, forgetting God will lead to sorry consequences such as these. But Isaiah’s prophecy reveals further and surprising implications that follow from our forgetfulness. In 17:10, Isaiah notes that the people “set out the finest plants and plant imported vines.” They are working hard to ensure a bountiful harvest.
At first, their efforts appear to be fruitful: “[O]n the day you set them out, you make them grow, and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud” (Isaiah 17:11). But then things go awry. The plants do not grow as the people had expected. The hoped-for harvest turns out to be “nothing” (17:11). Instead, the people and their vineyards are caught “in the day of disease and incurable pain” (17:11).
Why wasn’t the harvest plentiful? Why did the labor of the people prove to be unfruitful? Isaiah’s answer is clear: “You have forgotten God your Savior. . . . Therefore, though you set out the finest plants . . . yet the harvest will be as nothing” (Isaiah 17:10-11). When the people forgot God, their labor proved to be in vain. Their plantings failed to bear fruit. Their work produced nothing of value.
This passage from the prophet Isaiah reminds us that God matters, not just for our personal or religious life, but also for every part of life, including our work. If we want our daily work to be truly and fully fruitful and reap a rich harvest for our efforts, then we need to remember the Lord. According to his sovereign grace, God will bless us when we acknowledge God in every part of life, including our daily work.
Reflect
Can you think of times in your life when your neglect of God led to unfortunate consequences?
What helps you to remember God in the midst of your daily work?
How has God blessed your work? (Remember, your work is not only what you do for pay. It includes what you do as a parent or volunteer or helper to your friends, and so much more.)
Act
When you start work today (or tomorrow), acknowledge God the Lord of your work. Do your work for God’s purposes and glory.
Pray
Gracious God, I confess that there are times when I have forgotten you. It’s not so much that I don’t believe in you, but that I act as if you are not present or concerned. I fail to remember your truth, justice, grace, and mercy. Forgive me, Lord.
Help me, I pray, to remember you at all times, especially in those times when I would be apt to forget you. May I remember you as I work, knowing that you created me as a worker and that I can honor you and contribute to your work in the world through my work. As I remember you, Lord, please bless my work, enabling it to be fruitful. Amen.
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. Notes on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: The Worth of All Work (Sermon Notes)
Subscribe to Life for Leaders
Sign up to receive a Life for Leaders devotional each day in your inbox. It’s free to subscribe and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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,...