Sample prayer

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the story of creation illustrates how familiar You are with work, yet it tells us You are also a God of rest (Genesis 2:1-3). As Lord of the harvest and the Lord of the Sabbath, You know the perfect balance between work and recovery (Luke 6:5, Luke 10:2). You promise to finish that which You have started and we are confident that You will carry out the work You began in us until its completion on the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:3-7). What an inspiration You are for us, Jesus! Your focus while You were here on earth was to do Your Father’s will and to finish His work (John 4:34).

In contrast, I confess that often my work agenda is my own agenda and my track record on focusing on doing Your will is far from perfect. What an honour it is to be considered Your servant! Thank you for giving me the responsibility of raising and disciplining our children. Every day I want to see life as an opportunity to excel in the work You have planned for me. As I go about my daily duties, even though many are often tedious, please let our children see me working diligently and with joy rather than begrudgingly. May it be this way because I am trying to please You and not men (Colossians 3:23).

When it comes to shirking my responsibilities, I struggle with ____________. Please send me an extra dose of Your Spirit of power when I am tempted to be less than diligent (2 Timothy 1:7). My desire is to have a servant heart, like Jesus.

Your Word clearly states that diligence will be rewarded and that laziness will not be (Proverbs 10:4, 12:24, 12:27). Please fill my children’s hearts with a desire to be diligent so that they may be satisfied in life (Proverbs 13:4). Instead of finding excuses to avoid their responsibilities, my prayer is that ________ and ________ will think of reasons why they like to work. As ________ and ________ complete assignments, please give them the desire to do their work well enough that You will be pleased with it. I ask You to inspire ________ and ________ to be joyful workers who focus their attention until a task is completed. With the help of Your Holy Spirit, this is possible (Mark 10:27). Thank you!

As a family we would like to represent You well, winning the respect of others because of the way we work (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). Please inspire us to serve others out of our love for You. Please send Your Holy Spirit to accomplish what You know needs to be done in our home and in our hearts in order for this to happen. We praise You, for You are an enduring and awesome God! Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations. Thank you for being faithful to all Your promises and loving toward all You have made (Psalm 145:3). Amen.

Scripture-guided prayer for parents

Read and pray through one or more of the selected Scriptures under each heading. Focus on listening to God and allowing His Spirit to direct you as you pray.

Character focus

Begin by thanking God for being a God of strength and purpose.

Genesis 2:2 | Isaiah 46:9-11 | John 4:34 | 1 Corinthians 1:25 | Ephesians 2:10

Heart search

Acknowledge ways in which you are tempted to avoid your God-given responsibilities.

Proverbs 13:4 | Proverbs 14:23 | Proverbs 18:9 | Proverbs 19:15 | Proverbs 24:33-34

Gratitude

Thank God for ways you have seen evidence of diligence in your family.

Family requests

Ask God to help you and your children be willing and intentional in your work and in fulfilling God’s purposes for your lives.

2 Corinthians 13:4 | Philippians 1:3-6 | Philippians 2:12-15 | Colossians 3:23 | 1 Peter 4:11