A Prayer For You Today

Dear Friends,

It is good to regularly thank God for people whose work is mostly done outside. Every economy in the world depends on them. They help keep our communities running, people housed and fed, and factories given a place to produce. They often do their work in difficult weather and challenging conditions. Their dedication, strength, and sacrifice provide many of the services and resources we depend on.

A prayer for you today.

Lord, I confess that I can find little joy

in the hard labor set before me

each new workday…

In the midst of this strenuous pattern,

as the reservoir of my own strength

and skill runs dry,

I am awakened again to see that You alone

are my provision and supply.

And so, Father, remind me now

that work itself was not part of the curse

that drove me from Your presence.

For even within Your perfect garden,

before the splintering of creation,

You gave work to humankind

and commanded that we continue

Your great labor of bringing order from chaos.

It was by Your strength

the channels for the rivers

of the earth were excavated.

It was by Your power

the foundation stones of

the towering mountains were set.

With keen eyes You graded the hills

and laid the green sod upon them.

And You saw that it was good.

And You invite me to join You now

in these fundamental labors

of bringing beauty from barren rock

and habitation from the uninhabitable.

Just as I shared in this world’s breaking,

I am called to share in its remaking.

For You were not content to let Your creation

fall and remain in disrepair.

You were not afraid to get Your hands dirty.

You were willing to become weak,

to become the carpenter…

and carved wood into that which would

be of service to others.

You, Jesus, were a man well acquainted

with the expenditure of sweat,

and strain of muscle,

working for the better part of Your life

with saw and chisel.

And You understood the combination of skill

and brute force required

in the hours set before me.

So let me not be ashamed of such labors and

the service they provide to others.

Let me not shy away from the most menial of tasks, even those

which simply prepare the ground for others to build upon,

even those which bring no glory or

recognition of a job well done.

So now guide my calloused hands

that in them the humble hammer, level, rake, shovel and other

tools of my trade might become as consecrated instruments for Your purposes.

Give me the strength and stamina to work hard,

the knowledge to know my physical

limits, and the wisdom to work safely.

And, when my work is done, the ability to

see that it is good and to rest.

Amen.

Taken and slightly edited from

Every Moment Holy Volume Three, written by Jon Lowry

May God be gracious to you and bless you, so that His name and salvation will be known.

Pastor Joe