A Prayer to Turn Work into Worship
By Ashley Moore
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” - Romans 12:1, NLT
I overheard another mom with little ones share, "I just can’t catch up. I’m so overwhelmed, and there’s not enough time to get it all done before the next day comes," and it made me ponder the lesson God was teaching me. The endless tasks, like folding laundry, washing dishes, and changing diapers, all matter to God. They are not just tasks, but opportunities to worship God.
I'd been in that worn-down momma's shoes. I had prayed and begged the Lord to help me disciple my children. I asked God to help me teach my kids to love His Word, love His people, and live their lives for Him. Yet, I didn’t feel I had time to lead them well because I was consumed by my to-do list. I hadn't considered the endless tasks of motherhood as opportunities to display the Word of God to my family, I just focused on how overwhelmed and exhausted I was in this current season.
What about you, does your work feel more like a duty than a delight? Does going to the office bring about feelings of dread, rather than feelings of excitement to be salt and light to coworkers and clients? Do you view waiting in the carpool line as an inconvenience, rather than a chance to pray for the students and faculty? Or does serving another family dinner feel like a drudge rather than an offering of worship to God?
Listen, I get it. Like Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:15, I am the chief of sinners when it comes to this. I often treat my daily tasks as an interruption rather than a holy opportunity to worship God. But what would it feel like to intentionally remind ourselves before we set about our daily tasks that this is our worship? I wonder what we might notice if we looked for how God may be using our work to teach and talk to others about His love.
We get overwhelmed and frustrated with work because we live in a fallen world. But let’s not stay there. Let's let our frustration serve as a reminder that our daily lives matter in eternity. Our whole life serves as a reminder to the world of all that God has done for us.
What if God really does use all things to work together for our good and His purposes–even the dirty dishes piled in the sink (Romans 8:28). Let’s not miss out on this, thinking we would be of better use elsewhere. As we look at another day full of tasks, may we view the duties as opportunities to present ourselves as an acceptable living sacrifice to God, who deserves our worship.
Let’s pray:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for not wasting anything. You really are using all things for our good and your glory. You use our everyday acts as opportunities to build up and edify the body of Christ and point others to you (1 Thessalonians 5:11). We so easily fall prey to the lie that the things that take up our days don’t matter to you. But Lord, they do! We are living sacrifices meant to produce a pleasing aroma to those around us of your triumphal procession (2 Corinthians 2:14). And we get to do that by completing our to-do lists as offerings to you. God, forgive us when we forget. Lord, we will forget. We allow our feelings to lead us to despise these opportunities, which will feel like chores rather than divine opportunities or answers to prayer. Thank you for being patient and forgiving us when we do this, God. Remind us through your Spirit, and through the encouragement and example of others, that what we do matters to you. God, teach us how to live this out in our everyday lives. Let our lives be holy and set apart and acceptable to you Jesus. Amen.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/kohei_hara
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Originally published Friday, 14 April 2023.
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