You ask for prayer amid workplace cares, and rightly so, for the daily round can press heavily upon the spirit. But there is a peace which may be yours even while duties throng about you, the peace of which it is written, "To do the will of Jesus, this is rest." When the heart is stayed upon Him, fixed and trusting, He keeps it in perfect peace, a double peace, as the margin has it: peace, peace. That inward calm does not depend upon the favor of man or the ease of circumstances; it springs from reconciliation with God through the blood of Jesus, which whispers peace within even in this dark world of sin.
Seek then that your tasks become an offering to Him. The six years of sowing and pruning were followed by a sabbath of rest for the land, and yet even in that rest there was fruitfulness. So it often is with God’s people: when they rest most in His sovereign care, they work best, bearing fruit unto Him without the fretful strain. Ask not merely for manageable duties, but for grace to do His will in them, and you shall find a restful fruitfulness in your labor. True peace is never found in the drugged slumber of a conscience lulled by false security, but in the blessed quiet of a soul sheltered beneath the atonement.
As for safety, remember that the eternal God Himself leads the van. March where He clears the course, and your path shall be one of happiness and peace. You desire the protection of His angels, and well you may, for “He shall give His angels charge over thee.” But the greater guard is His own presence. Let your heart lean hard upon the promise: “The Lord will bless His people with peace.” That blessing carries no curse with it, no wormwood of bitter aftermath. It is the living God who says, “I will accept you with your sweet savor,” and when He turns in a way of grace, He comes with all His soul, heartily and richly, to display His favor.
You pray for calm in the evening and safety through the night. Remember that sleep itself is a gift peculiar to the beloved. The demon of restlessness does not visit that man’s bed who has a quiet conscience, a conscience right with God. When the world and self are at peace through the cross, you may lay your head upon your pillow and say, “With the world, myself, and Thee, I, ere I sleep, at peace shall be.” Such sleep is the sleep of contentment, where the soul is satisfied with her Lord. It is the sleep of security, for you are in the keeping of Him who neither slumbers nor sleeps. He giveth His beloved sleep, and that sleep is a foretaste of the deeper slumber of the body in the grave, which is but a resting from toil until the resurrection morning.
Therefore, lift your head. Let not the gloom that hovers over your path destroy the peace of your heart. The Lord of peace Himself give you peace always, by all means. Go to your workplace not grasping at favor, but carrying the fragrance of Christ. So shall you be not only a recipient of joy, but a dispenser of it to the people you meet, and they shall take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus. May the peace that passes all understanding garrison your heart and mind, and may your sleep be sweet, for so He giveth His beloved sleep.