God Likes Your Job. Really.

For years I would say this very simple prayer every day before work:

“God, please bless the work of my hands.”

I discovered those words one day while reading the bible and latched on to it hard, since it was one of the few scripture verses I ever came across that directly spoke to me about God’s interest in my work. I know it is not very fancy or theologically sophisticated, but it had a very spiritual and ancient ring to it, which I liked. And, to be honest, most of the time it was just about all I could muster.

That prayer pretty much carried me through my career.

Praying directly for my job always seemed a little dicey – like I had to sneak it in through God’s back door while no one was looking. Unfortunately, I picked up that attitude while growing up in the Evangelical Christian church, where I never, ever – not even once! – heard a pastor address the subject of work or career. Apparently, my job wasn’t one of God’s priorities.

Of course, now I see how ridiculous that is. I eventually managed to figure out on my own that God cares about my career just as much as He cares about the work of my missionary friend doing bible translation in the Philippine jungle. I know without question that my friend’s “ministry” work is no more important to God than my “secular” work in the corporate jungle.  Except that I never got a special prayer from the pulpit sending me off into the field with God’s blessing.

How did it come to this?

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Thanks to nAncY for the photo.