Is it okay to be in prayer for stress at work?
Yes! God tells us that we should pray about everything, even prayer for stress at work. When you come to him with prayer, be thankful for what He has done in your life. God gives us many things, so being grateful for the giver allows Him to be more gracious to us in our request.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let you requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6 ESV
Does God care about my stress at work?
He certainly does. God cares for us. So anything that is bothering us should be brought to Him in prayer.
Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:7 ESV
As believers, we have God on our side. No one can hurt us. They may try, but God will win and bring about justice.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31 ESV
After this one in Romans, the verse talks about how God didn’t spare His Son for us. So He will graciously give us all things (vs. 32). God gave us the greatest gift of His Son dying for our sins. Yet He still wants to provide us with good gifts. What a great Heavenly Father we have!
Will He answer me?
God does answer prayer. And Hannah is an excellent example of this.
Hannah was a woman in the Old Testament who wanted a child. She prayed for many years for a son. As she wept and prayed silently, Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk as her lips moved, but she didn’t pray aloud.
But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine not strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord.
1 Samuel 1:15 ESV
After hearing Hannah’s desire, the priest told her the Lord would answer her petition. She bore a son and called him Samuel, which when translated means “heard of God.”
The Psalmist Cried out for Help
Hannah called out to God like the Psalmist below. He was in distress, and that became a burden. When we call out to God about the stress at our work, He answers us.
And that relieves us of the burden.
Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.
Psalm 118:5 ESV
The burden becomes light, and we can be free from it.
Keep praying for the burdens that you have at work. God hears you, and He will bring freedom within the struggle. We need to trust Him that He will work it out at the perfect time.
Depending on the causes of stress at work, you may decide it is time to move on. Or you may stay and see how God brings the people to justice who have hurt you. Either way, keep on praying.
God Hears the Righteous
God hears us when we want to honor Him with righteousness or right-living. And He carries us out of the stress.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
Psalm 34:17 ESV
Biblical Example of Prayer for Stress at Work
In Genesis 16, we have the story of Abraham and Sarah, who didn’t have any children. So Sarah gave her servant, called Hagar, to her husband to have children with her.
When Hagar conceived, she looked down upon her mistress. In return, Sarah treated her sternly.
And then Hagar ran away.
The Lord pursued her and found her by a spring. He let her know that He saw her and wanted to bless her. She needed to return to her mistress and submit to her. And God promised to bless her son, and her offspring would multiply.
She returned to serve Sarah. A few months later, her son was born, and his name was Ishmael.
Hagar Leaves Later
Years later, when Ishmael was about 14. Sarah bore a child and named him Isaac. At that point, Sarah decided she wanted Hagar gone.
Abraham didn’t like turning out his son, Ishmael, and his mom. But God told him that He would make Ishmael into a great nation.
Abraham gave Hagar bread and water. Then sent them on their way.
While in the wilderness, they ran out of water, and she sat her boy under a tree a ways away as she didn’t want to see him die. She lifted her voice to God and cried. Scripture doesn’t say she prayed but lifting her voice to God could be that.
And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.
Genesis 21:7 ESV
The boy must have been crying, praying, or both as well. Either way, God heard them and answered. And He again promised that a great nation would come from her son.
Hagar’s story from a Work Perspective
Hagar didn’t have a great relationship with her boss. She wasn’t very nice to her boss when she had something her mistress did not. And she received terrible treatment from her.
God pursued her when she ran away when she tried to leave her work. He heard her cries and answered her. And God let her know that she couldn’t go yet. She needed to return to work and submit to her boss’s authority over her.
And once she did, she stayed for another 14 years.
We don’t know if she was ever mean to her boss again. But it sounds like Sarah still despised her for having a son first and having Abraham’s attention given to her son, so much that she wanted her to leave.
God allowed Hagar to leave at this time. And when she did, He provided for her, Ismael, and all the generations after her.
What can we learn from this story about prayer for stress at work?
God may want you to stay where you are. There may be lessons to learn and people He wants you to influence for His Kingdom.
He wants you to keep in communication with Him. When things are stressful, He wants you to be in prayer for stress at work.
God hears you. He sees you. And He knows of your stressful struggle.
Keep trusting Him and enduring where you are at. And keep doing what is righteous to honor Him.
And when it is the right time to move on, God will give His blessing and provide for you in a mighty way as you go.
One of my favorite verses about trust explains that He will make our paths straight when we trust Him. God will lead you where you are, and He will lead you on a straight path when it is time to go. Hang in there, my friend!
He will make the path straight when we lean on Him.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
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Resource Library
Did you know that there are free downloadable items in the resource library for you? This month there are Bible verse cards to help you deal with the stress at work. Download them, print them, and memorize them. As situations arise, you can remember these verses, and they will give you the strength to continue.
