How do you see God’s role in your workplace? As an interested (and often helpful) visitor, or as a partner who’s already involved and working?

The truth is, we don’t take God into our workplaces. We meet him there and join in with what he’s already doing.

When we step into the office, the classroom, the hospital ward, the building site on a Monday morning, we do so knowing that God is already at work in our workplaces, carrying out his kingdom purposes. This truth radically changes how we pray for our workplaces – for the work we do, the people we find there, and the organisation itself – as we learn to see where God’s already working and pray for his purposes.

But in the busyness of the working day – as the inbox fills, the meeting overruns, the crisis hits – it can be all too easy to lose sight of this truth. We all need a little help to remember it and live it out.

So we’ve come up with ten creative ways you to help you stay conscious of God’s presence in your workplace, and keep praying throughout the day:

Dice Prayers

Write a list of your six most important prayer requests for your work and organisation. Keep a dice in your pocket (or even on your desk) and whenever you become aware of it, bring it out and pray whatever number request is uppermost.

Daily Commute

Use the daily repetition of seeing particular landmarks or buildings as a prompt to pray for specific people and situations in your organisation.

Contacts

Scroll through the list of work contacts on your phone. Pause and pray for anyone who catches your attention. Consider sending them a text or email if appropriate.

Screensaver

Change the screensaver on your phone each week to remind you of something God has highlighted to you about your organisation as an area for prayer. When you see it, it’ll remind you to pray.

Ebenezer File

‘Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”’ (1 Samuel 7:12)

Create a file on your phone or computer (you could label it ‘Ebenezer’) and use it to record your prayer requests and God’s answers. Open it whenever you’re in need of encouragement!

Alarm

Set an alarm on your phone to buzz at a convenient time during your working day, reminding you to pray the Lord’s prayer – particularly asking that his kingdom may come, and his will be done in your organisation.

Coffee Run

Write a short prayer of blessing and pray it whenever you walk to the coffee machine/water fountain/toilet etc.

Work of Your Hands

What’s the first thing you do when you start work in the morning? Whether it’s starting up your computer, switching on a light, or … it’s likely it’s something that you use your hands for. Develop a habit of asking God to ‘bless the work of your hands today’ as you do it.

6M Card

Keep a copy of the 6M card on your desk, and choose one M to pray for God’s help in living out whenever it catches your eye.

Psalm 23

Learn Psalm 23, and use it to keep reminding yourself that God is the Shepherd who leads you throughout your day, and is pursuing you with goodness and love.

Bev Shepherd & Anna Watkin