A Prayer to Overcome Procrastination and Laziness
By Emma Danzey
Bible Reading
“He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.” - Proverbs 10:5
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Hard work is hard. There is no doubt about it. Part of Adam’s curse from sinning in the beginning is found in Genesis 3:17b-19, which says, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
The temptation to be lazy is ever-present. Just like any sin, laziness is exchanging long-term benefits for partaking in temporary pleasure. It is a seemingly easy road, but it leads to consequences. When we are supposed to work, we can be flooded with ideas of leisure, rest, and hobbies instead. Although these are not bad things, in fact, God gave us the command to sabbath. However, we were put on this planet for a purpose and part of that purpose includes work, raising children, and caring for the earth. Proverbs 10:5 points to the fact that someone who works hard receives the reward of the harvest, whereas someone who sleeps and ignores the work is disgraceful. Laziness is no small issue to God; it is a genuine sin struggle that can creep into anyone’s life.
Maybe you are feeling convicted already, or maybe you do not know if this is really that big of a struggle in your life. Perhaps you have the opposite issue of overworking and never resting? Whatever your experience, as we look at God’s Word, may we be reminded of the heart behind hard work to glorify God and be faithful to Him. When we are faithful in the little things, he can use us in greater ways.
Let's Pray:
Dear Lord,
Thank You that You are the God who knows perfect balance of hard work and rest. Forgive us for the times when we fall into procrastination and laziness. We are often tempted to delay and avoid hard things to enjoy temporary pleasure and relaxation. Would you forgive us for ignoring the call to honor You in all things and to do everything for Your glory? We pray against sinful patterns that have developed into our lives that hold us back from moving forward. We ask that you would unravel the original lies that we believed that set us back or prevented us from pressing into your best for us. We pray that you would open our eyes to things that are hindering us from living life to the fullest. Guide us in boundaries with devices, media, and anything else that causes us to binge or become addicted to things that take up too much time if we are not aware and cautious.
Remind us of the strength that we find in You even when we are worn. Refresh our hearts with our identity being rooted and established in You, not in what we do. Help us to work from a place of rest and not out of exhaustion. However, when we are in seasons of pushing, would you guide us and help us rely on You? Reveal the fine line between resting and laziness. Open our eyes to laziness in relationships with our spouses, children, relatives, or friends. Show us how we have not been as intentional and convict us into pursuing these relationships in love. Open our eyes to laziness in our careers or education. Show us where we have become apathetic or indifferent about growing as an employee or student. Open our eyes to how we have become lazy in our daily walk with You. Convict our hearts and draw us close to You in Your word and prayer. Open our eyes to how we have become lazy in Christian community.
Help us not to go through the motions, quickly reject opportunities to serve, or view church as something to just consume. Help us to be challenged to be more than a congregant, but to really be the body of Christ. Thank You that You tell us that You did not delay Your promise to us and want all to come to repentance in You (2 Peter 3:9). Thank You for the reminder that You never get tired or have to sleep (Psalm 121:4). In our finite or broken humanity, help us to have attitudes of doing everything for You glory and fleeing from the temptation to be lazy or to procrastinate. With You, all things are possible! Amen.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/eggeeggjiew
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
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Originally published Wednesday, 23 October 2024.
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