James Bruyn
If you were to have asked him, he would have said to you that he never imagined living or working in his current work place. With joy radiating from his face, and a quiet serene peace he would say that these four things kept him going every day:
- Knowing God’s wisdom
- Trusting God’s hope
- Anticipating the riches of God’s glorious inheritance
- Experiencing God’s incomparably great power
As you visited with him, you might wonder, as none of these changed his situation, or his workplace, or who he worked with. He was working from a Roman jail cell. His co-workers were the Roman guards that he was chained to. If you asked him to comment on his work conditions he probably would have said “I have been blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ and that is sufficient.”
If you asked Paul what he was praying for that day, he would have said that his prayers were for other Christians. Paul would have said he was praying that his Christian friends in Ephesus would know God’s wisdom, trust in God’s hope, anticipate the riches of God’s glorious inheritance and experience God’s incomparably great power (Ephesians 1:15-23).
This week, think of two or three Christians that you know in your workplace and follow Paul’s example in praying for them.
1. Pray for the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation so that your Christian colleagues may know God better.
Wisdom is found in the marketplace. We are told in Proverbs 1:20 that Wisdom calls aloud and raises her voice in the public square. Wisdom speaks to us in our lives where we live, for that is where we need wisdom. With wisdom we are able to live lives that honor and please God. Wisdom enables us to be patient and honest in our dealings with people. Our ability to do our work with excellence and integrity comes from God’s wisdom.
Pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give your Christian colleagues listening ears to hear His wisdom.
Pray that they would have the wisdom to apply the profound truths about God in the everyday situations of their workplace.
2. Pray that your Christian co-workers would have Hope and not be discouraged.
Hope is lived out in the marketplace. The hope that formed our hearts when we heard and responded to the Gospel transcends any hope for possessions or wealth or friendship. Hope rooted in faith in Christ, is a living hope for continuous fellowship with God and with other Christians. With hope we can endure any anxiety or trial.
Pray that the eyes of the hearts of your Christian co-workers would be enlightened so that they would grasp the immensity of the hope to which Christ has called them.
Pray that throughout the day their hope would rest in God Himself, and God’s gracious word of forgiveness. Pray that they would not be discouraged.
3. Pray that as God’s children your Christian colleagues would know the riches of God’s glorious inheritance.
As God’s holy children, God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. We have an inheritance that is imperishable and undefiled. We have an inheritance that will never fade away. We have an inheritance reserved for us in heaven.
When we fathom the riches of God’s glorious inheritance, we can rest from the frantic busyness of corporate life in the arms of our Savior.
Pray that your Christian colleagues would grasp the magnificence and splendor of the glory of their inheritance.
4. Pray that your Christian co-workers would know the surpassing greatness of God’s power.
The same divine power that raised Christ from the dead is active today in the marketplace. God’s power is evidenced in the marketplace when we keep ourselves from self-sufficiency, self-confidence and pride. God’s power has given Christ a name that is above any other name in this world or the world to come. God’s power has placed Christ above all people who are in positions of power and authority. God has never been corrupted by His power.
Pray that your co-workers would be overwhelmed by what God by His power has done, is doing and will do, rather than being overwhelmed by this world.
Pray that God’s unsurpassing power would be the source of your Christian co-worker’s energy, vitality, life, and fruit. Pray that through their cracked, broken, frail bodies the brilliance of God’s glory would shine through.
Conclusion – An enriched prayer life
Your prayer life will be enriched as you get to know the stories of the Christians in your workplace. Your faith will grow as they tell you stories of how God has answered your prayers for them.
As they tell you stories
- Of how God has granted them wisdom
- Of how they have found hope
- Of how they trust in the riches of God’s glorious inheritance
- Of how they experience the surpassing greatness of God’s power
May your heart be filled with praise to the Lord, who has not abandoned His kindness and faithfulness to you or your Christian friends.
This article originally appeared here.