A Prayer to Start the Workday with Focus and Joy
By Victoria Riollano
Bible Reading:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” - Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
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I felt bamboozled. After many months of applying for jobs, I had finally secured what appeared to be the job of my dreams. My role would be to inspire students of all ages to go back to school and earn the degrees they have been desiring! I just knew I would be changing lives for generations and inspiring the masses. However, I faced a rude awakening only a few days ago.
My job was not as it seemed, and I would spend my days and nights answering phone calls. Endless phone calls from students with questions about their classes, financial aid, and how long it would take them to complete their degrees filled my days and nights. Before long, my excitement about the job turned into dread, and I wondered how I could continue to move forward in a job that felt more draining than rewarding.
After months of frustration, I found myself in a time of tearful prayer, crying out for God to release me from this assignment. Yet, without pause, the Lord reminded me that my role in the job was not about me! My role in this job was about the students who needed encouragement, the coworkers who needed to hear the gospel, and the supervisors who needed a worker who would work as unto the Lord. The Lord had a bigger plan; my role was to walk in obedience and trust Him with every interaction.
As said in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Trusting in the Lord requires us to focus less on our feelings and more on God’s heart for His children. Trusting in the Lord requires us to trust that we have been put in our workplace on purpose and for a purpose. So, rather than sulk or complain, we can walk in peace and joy, knowing God has a more excellent plan. When I changed my thoughts from being inward-centered and focused on God’s will above my own, I found the strength to keep going, even on the most challenging days.
Instead of complaining, I chose to lean into Proverbs 3:6 and acknowledge Him in all my ways. To acknowledge means to recognize and place importance. Thus, I had to make a conscious choice to make His will, His love, His word, my central focus. In doing so, the Lord compelled me to lean into my relationships with my colleagues and spread the gospel at any opportunity. So much so that before I left the job years later, I could co-lead a Bible study for about 30 colleagues, start a moms group for those struggling with balancing the workplace and parenting, and minister to a Muslim co-worker on a weekly Zoom call. In the long run, this once-dreaded job became my greatest joy!
Friends, our jobs don’t have to be perfect to glorify the Lord. My prayer for us today is that we will see our workplaces as an opportunity for God to use us mightily. Rather than be frustrated about our experiences and unmet expectations, may we see our job as a mission field. In this place, the Lord can use us to bring joy and hope to our workplaces!
Let’s Pray:
Lord, I thank you for my workplace. Although my days are not always perfect, I thank you for the opportunity to earn money and gather more resources for my family. Father, I ask that you help me to focus on what is most important: following your will. Show me when I have made it all about me, not you. Lord, use me to share your truth at work. I ask for unique opportunities to share my testimony and spread the gospel to those in need. Please help me to be a light that shines bright for you in my workplace. Lord, I ask you for your help for every task laid before me. Please help me to see them as a privilege and not a burden. Please show me the greater impact of my work and how you are moving in my life and that of my coworkers. Lord, help me to have joy even when things feel overwhelming or frustrating. In these moments, help me shift my focus on you, not my feelings. Guard my heart from feeling defeated and my mouth from causing division when things do not go the way I believe they should. Please show me how to be a peacemaker in my workplace. I thank you for peace. I thank you for joy. I praise you for going before me and giving me wisdom and favor in every situation. Again, I thank you, Lord, for my job. Help me not to take it for granted but to see it as a special assignment from you. I choose to glorify you in it all.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Photo Credit ©Getty Images/Delmaine Donson
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Originally published Tuesday, 25 March 2025.
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