Prayer points with Scriptures · 21 points
Prayer Points for Work and My Job
These prayer points are for everyone who works: in an office or a warehouse, on a job site or a farm, at home with children, in your own business, or between jobs and looking. They cover diligence and integrity, coworkers and bosses, provision and contentment, the job search and unemployment, and rest, stress and witness at work. Every point comes with a Bible verse and a prayer short enough for the commute or a coffee break.
Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, as for the Lord and not for men, because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24 (BSB)
Pray one section each workday morning, so the whole list takes a week. Start with the verse, pray the prayer, and add the meeting, coworker, deadline or interview in front of you. If you are out of work, start with the fourth section and come back to it whenever the waiting feels long. Verses are from the Berean Standard Bible.
Diligence and integrity
1Thanks for work itself
LORD God, in Eden, before sin entered the world, You gave the man work: to cultivate the garden and keep it. Work was Your idea from the start, so thank You for mine. Help me see my job as a place to serve You.
Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.
Genesis 2:15 (BSB)2Working from the heart
Lord, help me work hard not only when my boss is watching, but as Your servant, doing Your will from my heart. Give me goodwill toward the people I work for, serving as if I were serving You, because I am.
And do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve with good will, as to the Lord and not to men,
Ephesians 6:6-7 (BSB)3Growing in skill
Lord, help me grow in skill at what I do. Give me the patience to learn, the humility to ask for training and the diligence to do excellent work, for the good of the people it serves.
Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will be stationed in the presence of kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
Proverbs 22:29 (BSB)4Trustworthy like Daniel
God, Daniel’s rivals searched his work for corruption or negligence and found none, because he was trustworthy. Make me that kind of worker: honest on timesheets, expense reports and emails, and faithful in details nobody else would notice.
Thus the administrators and satraps sought a charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no charge or corruption, because he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him.
Daniel 6:4 (BSB)
Coworkers and bosses
5At peace with everyone
Father, where peace depends on me, help me keep it with everyone at work. Give me patience with difficult personalities, a quick apology when I am wrong and the grace to let small irritations go.
If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone.
Romans 12:18 (BSB)6No complaining or arguing
Lord, help me do my work without complaining or arguing. When the break room turns to gossip and griping, give me the courage to stay out of it and the kindness to say something good, so that I shine as a light.
Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world
Philippians 2:14-15 (BSB)7A hard boss or a hostile coworker
Lord Jesus, Your command is to love our enemies, bless those who curse us and pray for those who mistreat us. I pray for the person at work who is hardest for me. Bless them, change what needs changing in me, and show me any wise steps to take.
But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Luke 6:27-28 (BSB)8If I manage or employ others
LORD, You told Your people not to oppress a hired worker and to pay wages on time. If I lead or employ others, make me fair, generous and prompt, and help me treat the people I supervise as people You love, not just as output.
Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
Deuteronomy 24:14-15 (BSB)
Provision and contentment
9Daily bread
Our Father, give us this day our daily bread. I bring You our real needs: rent, groceries, bills and the unexpected repair. Thank You that I can ask You for what I need, and help me trust You one day at a time.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Matthew 6:11 (BSB) · Pray this verse →10Neither poverty nor riches
Lord, give me neither poverty nor riches, but the bread that is my portion. Keep me from having so much that I forget You, or so little that I am tempted to do wrong. Keep my work honest and my heart content.
Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion. Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God.
Proverbs 30:8-9 (BSB)11Content with enough
Father, You say that godliness joined with contentment is great gain. I brought nothing into the world and can carry nothing out. Free me from always chasing the next raise or purchase, and teach me to be content with food, clothing and Your presence.
Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.
1 Timothy 6:6-8 (BSB)12Working so I can give
Lord Jesus, Paul worked with his own hands to meet his needs and help the weak, remembering Your words about the blessing of giving. Let my paycheck provide for those who depend on me and make me generous.
You yourselves know that these hands of mine have ministered to my own needs and those of my companions. In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Acts 20:34-35 (BSB)
The job search and unemployment
13Guide my search
God, Ruth went out to glean in the fields, and she happened to come to the field of Boaz. As I send applications and make calls, go ahead of me. Lead me to the right openings and the right people, and keep me diligent while I search.
And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after someone in whose sight I may find favor.” “Go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied. So Ruth departed and went out into the field and gleaned after the harvesters. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech.
Ruth 2:2-3 (BSB)14Words in the interview
LORD, the plans of the heart belong to us, but the reply of the tongue is from You. I have prepared for this interview. Calm my nerves, give me clear and honest answers, and help me present myself truthfully.
The plans of the heart belong to man, but the reply of the tongue is from the LORD.
Proverbs 16:1 (BSB)15Waiting patiently
LORD, David waited patiently for You, and You heard his cry and lifted him out of the pit. The waiting is long and discouraging. Hear me, set my feet on a rock and keep me from despair while I look for work.
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.
Psalm 40:1-2 (BSB) · Pray this verse →16My worth is not my job title
Lord Jesus, You said our heavenly Father feeds the birds of the air, and that we are worth much more than they are. When I feel useless without a job, remind me that my value comes from God, and provide what my household needs.
Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:26 (BSB)17Doing good while I wait
LORD, help me trust You and do good while I am between jobs. Show me how to use these days well, serving at church, helping a neighbor or learning a new skill, and cultivating faithfulness instead of fear.
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Psalm 37:3 (BSB) · Pray this verse →
Rest, stress and witness
18Rest as a gift
Lord Jesus, You said the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Help me receive rest as Your gift: time to stop, worship and enjoy the people I love, without guilt about unanswered emails.
Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Mark 2:27 (BSB)19When my heart is faint
God, at the end of a long shift or in the middle of a stressful week, I call out to You because my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, and steady me when work feels bigger than I am.
From the ends of the earth I call out to You whenever my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Psalm 61:2 (BSB)20When work keeps me up at night
Lord, the Teacher knew the kind of toil that keeps a mind from resting even at night. When I lie awake replaying meetings and to-do lists, quiet my thoughts, help me leave tomorrow’s work for tomorrow and rest in You.
For what does a man get for all the toil and striving with which he labors under the sun? Indeed, all his days are filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.
Ecclesiastes 2:22-23 (BSB)21A quiet witness at work
Father, let my conduct at work be so honorable that coworkers who do not know You see good deeds and glorify You. Give me natural openings to speak of Jesus, and the wisdom to know when simply to work well and be kind.
Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.
1 Peter 2:12 (BSB)
A closing prayer
Lord, thank You for the gift of work. Whatever I do today, help me do it with my whole heart, as for You and not for people. Make me honest, skilled and kind to everyone I work with. Give us our daily bread and a contented heart. For those looking for work, open the right doors and hold them up while they wait. Give me rest when the work is done, and let my life point others to Jesus. Amen.
Pray with a voice
Short prayers with a voice to pray along with, each drawn from one passage.
Questions
What Bible verse can I pray for my job?
Colossians 3:23-24 is the best known: “work at it with your whole being, as for the Lord and not for men.” Many Christians also pray Psalm 90:17, asking God to establish the work of their hands, and Matthew 6:11 for daily provision. Daniel 6:4 and Philippians 2:14-15 speak to how we work, and Proverbs 16:1 is often prayed before an interview.
Is it wrong to pray for a raise or a better job?
No. Jesus taught us to ask for daily bread (Matthew 6:11), and Philippians 4:6 tells us to present our requests to God in everything. Scripture does not promise wealth to anyone who prays, though, and it warns that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). Ask freely, work faithfully and pray for a contented heart whatever the answer.
How do I pray when I lose my job?
Tell God honestly how you feel; Psalm 40 begins with someone who waited patiently for the LORD and was heard. Ask Him for provision, guidance and the right openings, and let your church know so others can pray and help. Pray through the job search section day by day, and remember that your worth was never your job title. If you are thinking about ending your life, call or text 988 in the US.
More prayer points
Every verse on this page is quoted word for word from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which its publishers dedicated to the public domain. Copy, print and share these prayer points freely with your church.