Prayer for a job interview
Prepare well, then pray. Prayer does not replace research and practice, but it can quiet your nerves and remind you that your worth is not what is being interviewed.
Before my interview
Father, in a few minutes I walk into this interview. Calm my nerves and clear my mind. Help me remember what I prepared, answer honestly and listen well. Let me be myself, not a nervous copy of what I think they want. If this job is right for me, open the door. If it is not, close it kindly and show me what is next. Either way, my worth is settled in You. Amen.
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Faithero's daily plan includes a prayer: “Pray about your day” opens the Bible Guide to help you put a hard meeting or an interview into words.
Prayer for a new job
Pray it on your first morning, and again at the end of your first week. If you are still weighing an offer, our prayers for guidance may help you decide.
For my first days at a new job
Lord, thank You for this job. I am glad, and I am nervous. Help me learn quickly and ask questions without embarrassment. Give me good people to work with, and help me be good to work with. Let me be honest from the first day, so that trust can grow. Bless the work of my hands, and let it do real good for the people it serves. Amen.
“And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.”
Prayer for finding a job
Looking for work is hard on the heart. Rejections pile up, and silence can feel worse than a no. Keep applying, ask friends for leads, and pray each day for what you need that day.
While I look for work
Father, I need a job, and You know exactly what we need to live on. Lead me to the right openings and the right people. Give me the energy to keep applying when the answers are slow, or the answer is no. Keep me from measuring my worth by my inbox. Provide for us in the meantime, and let me see Your care in small ways. When the right door opens, help me recognize it. Amen.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer after losing a job
Losing a job can shake your sense of who you are, along with your budget. Give yourself time to grieve, and let people help you.
When I have lost my job
Lord, I lost my job, and I am shaken. I feel embarrassed, angry and scared, sometimes all in the same hour. You have not lost track of me. Hold my family steady. Help me grieve what I lost without getting stuck in it. Show me the next practical step: the call to make, the form to fill in, the friend to ask. I put my worries on You, because You care for me. Amen.
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
Prayer for a difficult boss or coworker
Some people are hard to work with. Praying for them will not make you a doormat, but it can change how you see them and how you answer them. If you are being harassed, bullied or treated unsafely, write it down and report it: praying for someone does not mean putting up with abuse.
For someone who is hard to work with
Lord, You know how hard it is to work with (name). I am tired of the comments, the pressure and the way I feel after we talk. Help me see them as a person You made, with worries I know nothing about. Guard my mouth when I want to answer sharply. Give me the courage to speak up when something is wrong, and the wisdom to know when to let it go. Bless them, and change what needs changing, including in me. Amen.
“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”
Prayer for my coworkers
The people you work with may never walk into a church, but they will see how you treat them every day.
For the people I work with
Father, thank You for the people I work beside. You know what each of them carries: the sick parent, the money worry, the grief no one talks about. Help me notice. Make me someone who is fair, kind and easy to trust. Let me share credit and own my mistakes. And when someone asks why I am the way I am, give me simple words to tell them about You. Amen.
“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Prayer for a hard day at work
For the day the deadline slips, the customer shouts or the meeting goes badly. Pray it in the restroom if you have to.
On a hard day
Jesus, this day is too much. I am behind, I am frustrated, and I am not at my best. Meet me right here. Slow my breathing and my thoughts. Help me do the next task, and then the one after it. Keep me from taking it out on the people around me, or on the people at home tonight. You said to come to You when I am tired and carrying too much. Here I am. Amen.
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Prayer for burnout
Burnout is more than a bad week. It is running on empty for so long that you stop caring, stop sleeping well and start to feel you are failing at everything. When the prophet Elijah was so exhausted that he asked to die, God did not lecture him. He let him sleep, sent him food, and woke him to eat again, “because the journey is too great for thee” (1 Kings 19:7, KJV). Rest, food and help come first.
Talk to your doctor. And if exhaustion has turned into hopelessness or thoughts of not wanting to live, reach out today: in the US and Canada, call or text 988, and elsewhere find a helpline at findahelpline.com.
When I am burned out
Lord, I am empty. I have been running on fumes for so long that I do not know how to stop. Forgive me for acting as if everything depends on me. Show me what I can put down, who I can ask for help, and which boundaries I need to keep. Give me sleep that actually rests me. Bring back the joy I used to have in my work, or show me where to go next. Until then, carry me. Amen.
“It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”
For more prayers like this, see our prayers for strength.
Frequently asked
What is a short prayer before work?
Lord, this work is Yours. Help me do it well, treat people kindly and leave the results with You. Amen. Colossians 3:23 is a good verse to start the day with: “whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord” (Colossians 3:23, KJV).
What should I pray before a job interview?
Pray for a calm mind, honest answers and the ability to listen well, and ask God to open the door if the job is right and close it if it is not. Then remember that your worth does not depend on the outcome: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7, KJV).
Is it okay to pray for a job?
Yes. Jesus taught His followers to ask God for their daily bread (Matthew 6:11), and a job is often how the bread arrives. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find” (Matthew 7:7, KJV). Pray honestly about what you need, keep looking, and trust God with the timing.
How do I pray for a difficult boss?
Pray for them by name and for their good, and ask for wisdom in how you respond. Ask God to guard your words: “A soft answer turneth away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1, KJV). Praying for a boss does not mean accepting harassment or unsafe treatment; if that is happening, write it down and report it.
What does the Bible say about work?
Work is part of God's good design: before anything went wrong, God put Adam in the garden to tend it and keep it (Genesis 2:15). Paul tells Christians to work wholeheartedly, as for the Lord and not only for people (Colossians 3:23). And the Bible builds rest into the week, so that work never becomes the whole of life (Exodus 20:9-10).
Is burnout a sign of weak faith?
No. Burnout usually comes from carrying too much for too long. Elijah, one of the greatest prophets, was so worn out that he asked to die, and God answered with sleep, food and gentle care before anything else (1 Kings 19:4-8). Rest, talk to your doctor and ask for help. If you feel hopeless or unsafe, call or text 988 in the US and Canada.
Rest is part of the work
God built rest into the rhythm of work: “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God” (Exodus 20:9-10, KJV). Rest is not a reward for finishing everything. It is a reminder, every week, that the world does not depend on you.
Jesus took His tired friends away from the crowds and said, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while” (Mark 6:31, KJV). If your work has swallowed your life, that invitation is for you too. Close the laptop. Go to bed. The work will be there tomorrow, and so will God.
Short prayer before work
Pray it in the car, on the train or at your desk, before you open your email.
Before I start work
Lord, this work is Yours before it is mine. Help me do it well and honestly, whether anyone notices or not. Give me focus for the tasks, patience with the people, and a kind word for someone who needs one. When I am tempted to cut corners, remind me who I am really working for. And when the day is done, let me leave it with You. Amen.
You can keep praying after the day gets busy. Brother Lawrence, a Carmelite lay brother in Paris in the 1600s, worked for fifteen years as his community's cook, though by his own account he had “naturally a great aversion” to kitchen work. He learned to talk with God in the middle of it. “The time of business,” he said, “does not with me differ from the time of prayer.” His conversations and letters were later gathered in a small book, The Practice of the Presence of God. A few one-line prayers can help you pray the same way: