52 Workday Prayers: Psalm 37 - Praying for Patience

Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
Do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalm 37:5-7

Prayer

Lord, I hear you speaking to me through this psalm: “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.” Yes, that is what I need to hear today: “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.”

I confess, gracious Lord, that stillness and patience don’t come easily to me. I’m wired to solve problems. I want to figure things out and then make them better. I want to get going . . . now.

As you know, Lord, there are times when I am quite fretful. Like the psalm writer, I can worry about others whose success in their work surpasses mine. I can become anxious, wondering if I’m using well the gifts you have given me. I can doubt that I’m walking in the way you would have me go. Then I want to figure it out and make it better.

Sometimes when I ask for your guidance you are frustratingly quiet. You may be speaking, but I’m not hearing your. Or, for your own reasons, you are choosing to be silent. It’s hard to wait on you, Lord. So hard to be still and patient. Sometimes you seem so slow to act. I know you always do what’s best. But it can be hard for me to trust you.

Help me, I pray, to be still before you, to wait patiently for you. Even when I’m not sure how I should go, may I commit my life to you, living for you each day, trusting you in every part of my life. May I know in mind and heart that you are honored as I wait for you, seeking your glory above all else. Amen.

Ponder Throughout the Day

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him (Psalm 37:7).

For Further Reflection

Read all of Psalm 37, paying attention to what the Spirit of God is stirring up in your heart, especially in relationship to your work. Talk with God about what you are thinking and feeling.

You might also reflect on the following passage from 1 Kings:

He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. - 1 Kings 19:11-12

This prayer is part of a collection: 52 Workday Prayers: Learn from the Psalms How to Pray through Your Work. To purchase this devotional and small group guide, visit the De Pree Center store.