“A negative thinker sees a difficulty in every opportunity. A positive thinker sees an opportunity in every difficulty.” –Zig Ziglar
My Heavenly Father, as I enter this workplace I bring Your presence with me. I speak Your peace, Your grace, Your mercy, and Your perfect order in this office. I acknowledge Your power over all that will be spoken, thought, decided, and done within these walls. Lord, I thank You for the gifts You have blessed me with. I commit to using them responsibly in Your honor. Give me a fresh supply of strength to do my job. Anoint my projects, ideas and energy so that even my smallest accomplishments may bring You glory. Lord, when I am confused, guide me. When I am burned out, infuse me with the light of the Holy Spirit. May the work that I do and the way I do it bring faith, joy and a smile to all that I come in contact with today. Amen.
God gives us strength and power to face workplace challenges. Philippians 4:6 tells us “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” One of the many reasons why prayer is so important in terms of dealing with these challenges is because there is power in prayer. There is power in the requests we make to God for real change to happen. When we lift up this particular prayer to God, we can begin to let go and let God handle the rest. When you’re dealing with office challenges, it’s important that you know that we all go through trials, troubles and tribulations but those experiences don’t define us. When we are in active communication with God, we can figure out what we need to do when these challenges begin to show up for us.
While we may see our troubles a certain way, God sees it another. What we may see as stress, God sees as opportunity. What we may see as conflict or crisis, God sees as an opportunity for our own growth and betterment. When we take these challenges head on with God, we understand that He does fulfill his promises. Our lives can be filled with joy when we spin the crisis and allow God to show us how we can grow from it. This is what God wants from us. To be the person that He knows we are capable of being in an effort to reflect His love and glory.
It’s important to be mindful of what God is telling you once you lift up this prayer. Understand that His answer may not be the answer you’re looking for. When you start your job, God may be challenging you to step outside of your comfort zone and get to know others in an environment you’re unfamiliar with. God may be challenging you to take your ego head on by letting go of your need to always be right. God may even be challenging you to recognize your self-worth by taking a new career path.
We are reminded when we read Psalm 46:10 to be still and know that He is God. God and His will should be a part of every career choice we make and when we apply God’s principles to our lives, we can accomplish anything. As the apostle Paul reminds us, “grow spiritually where you’re planted.” If you’re trying to live a Christ-focused life, this principle will keep you grounded from temptation within the workspace that moves you away from Him. If you’re working for a company that promotes unethical business practices or immoral activity, think about making a change not only for conscious sake but for God. If you constantly find yourself running away from problems or conflicts in your work environment, challenge yourself to take this on in a way that is reflective of your character, your integrity that is also acceptable and pleasing to God. Lift up your challenges to God and recognize that His plan for You is greater than you know. We can conquer all office challenges with God who strengthens us.
