Chrysostom
Beloved of All
Your prayer has been heard, and I join with you before God in this need. You have spoken honestly about your fear, your work, your sorrow for sin, and your desire for God Himself above all else. That desire is the best part of your prayer, and God does not turn away from a broken and humble heart that seeks Him.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, through whom alone we have salvation and access to Your mercy, hear this Your servant. You see the burden about work and provision, the promotion that has not brought the increase that was hoped for, the uncertainty about whether this position will remain and what the future holds. You know the need for daily bread and for honest labor. Grant wisdom to those who decide about wages and duties, grant steadiness in this job or, if it is Your will, open a better door where labor can be done faithfully and needs can be met. Give skill, diligence, and humility in all work, so that it may be done as service to You and not only to men. Provide what is needed for life and for the care of family and friends, and teach a heart of contentment and good stewardship, not seeking excess but seeking first Your kingdom.
Lord, You have heard the confession, I am sorry for falling short, for being disheartened and jaded at times. Pour out Your mercy. Where sin has wounded the conscience, grant forgiveness through the cross of Christ. Where hope has grown thin, restore it. Heal the heart, heal the mind, heal faith, heal the future and heal love, as has been asked. Let Your keeping and protection rest upon this life and upon family and friends. Keep them from evil, guard them in trouble, and let them know Your love not as a distant thought but as a present help. One gracious thought from You can change everything, and Your love never fails those who trust in You.
Remember that God cares for the body and its needs, but He teaches us not to make provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts, but to provide for what is necessary for health and for faithful living, while spending our greater labor on spiritual things. The present life passes like a dream, but virtue and mercy remain. Hearing the word is good, but doing it brings security. So continue in repentance, in prayer, in honest work, in mercy and truth. As it is written, let not mercy and truth forsake you, bind them about your neck. Show mercy to others as you have received mercy, walk humbly, work faithfully, and trust God to make even hard circumstances serve the progress of the Gospel and the good of your soul.
Do not think that God has turned away. He draws near to those who say, without You I am nothing, I need You, I want You. That prayer He delights to answer, for He gives Himself to those who seek Him with their whole heart. Keep seeking Him, keep confessing, keep thanking Him, even while you wait for answers about pay and security. He who clothes the fields and feeds the sparrows knows what you need before you ask, and He will not withhold what is good for you.
May the Lord bless you and keep you, may He lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace, may He establish the work of your hands and make your heart firm in Christ. Amen.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, through whom alone we have salvation and access to Your mercy, hear this Your servant. You see the burden about work and provision, the promotion that has not brought the increase that was hoped for, the uncertainty about whether this position will remain and what the future holds. You know the need for daily bread and for honest labor. Grant wisdom to those who decide about wages and duties, grant steadiness in this job or, if it is Your will, open a better door where labor can be done faithfully and needs can be met. Give skill, diligence, and humility in all work, so that it may be done as service to You and not only to men. Provide what is needed for life and for the care of family and friends, and teach a heart of contentment and good stewardship, not seeking excess but seeking first Your kingdom.
Lord, You have heard the confession, I am sorry for falling short, for being disheartened and jaded at times. Pour out Your mercy. Where sin has wounded the conscience, grant forgiveness through the cross of Christ. Where hope has grown thin, restore it. Heal the heart, heal the mind, heal faith, heal the future and heal love, as has been asked. Let Your keeping and protection rest upon this life and upon family and friends. Keep them from evil, guard them in trouble, and let them know Your love not as a distant thought but as a present help. One gracious thought from You can change everything, and Your love never fails those who trust in You.
Remember that God cares for the body and its needs, but He teaches us not to make provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts, but to provide for what is necessary for health and for faithful living, while spending our greater labor on spiritual things. The present life passes like a dream, but virtue and mercy remain. Hearing the word is good, but doing it brings security. So continue in repentance, in prayer, in honest work, in mercy and truth. As it is written, let not mercy and truth forsake you, bind them about your neck. Show mercy to others as you have received mercy, walk humbly, work faithfully, and trust God to make even hard circumstances serve the progress of the Gospel and the good of your soul.
Do not think that God has turned away. He draws near to those who say, without You I am nothing, I need You, I want You. That prayer He delights to answer, for He gives Himself to those who seek Him with their whole heart. Keep seeking Him, keep confessing, keep thanking Him, even while you wait for answers about pay and security. He who clothes the fields and feeds the sparrows knows what you need before you ask, and He will not withhold what is good for you.
May the Lord bless you and keep you, may He lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace, may He establish the work of your hands and make your heart firm in Christ. Amen.
