Many, LORD, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
     Let the light of your face shine on us.
Fill my heart with joy
     when their grain and new wine abound.

Psalm 4:6-7

Prayer

Gracious God, I love the joy of accomplishment, the delight that comes when my hard work is fruitful. It feels great to know my labor matters. Thank you for the gift of joy, for the ability to feel glad over the results of my work.

Yet, Lord, help me also to remember that even my own work is an expression of your grace. You have given me talents and capabilities. You have blessed me with strength and endurance. The very air I breathe is a gift from you. You enable me to work, to be fruitful, to rejoice in what I am able to do. Thank you!

Lord, I will never fully grasp all the ways you are blessing and helping me as I work. Though I know my effort matters, I also know that you are shining your face upon me as I work. So my fruitfulness is never mine alone. It is shared with others, and, most of all, with you.

So, dear Lord, as I rejoice when my work is fruitful, may I also be thankful for your grace at work in me, through me, and all around me. Amen.

Ponder Throughout the Day

God’s grace is at work in you today as you do your work. Can you see it?

For Further Reflection

Read all of Psalm 4, paying attention to what the Spirit of God is stirring up in your heart, especially in relationship to your work. Talk with God about what you are thinking and feeling.

You might also reflect on the following passage from 1 Corinthians:

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. - 1 Corinthians 15:10

This prayer is part of a collection: 52 Workday Prayers: Learn from the Psalms How to Pray through Your Work. To purchase this devotional and small group guide, visit the De Pree Center store.