Thank you for joining in our prayer for all our sisters and brothers who find themselves without the work they so desperately seek and deserve, and for all who are working in jobs below their level of skill, experience, or training.
We also keep in mind all those who work for unjust wages.
Please share these prayers with others in your family, neighborhood, faith community, and work place; our goal is to consistently add to the number of people praying together for this cause on the Fourth Friday of each month.
A new day has dawned upon us, Father in heaven, and your children are grateful for all the blessings you have shared with your people and all the nations. We are thankful for the celebrations of family and friends which enrich our lives and bring us together to provide hope and encouragement for the future; we offer you thanks for having allowed us to share in the bounty of your love which continues to be poured out upon us day after day.
Your people turn to you in hope, dear Lord. We are hopeful that this day will lead to success for us and the many people we work with. We pray in hope that our efforts will please those who depend on us to apply ourselves and our skills to the work we have been chosen to do. We pray in hope that through the work we complete today, awareness of your goodness becomes more evident to ever more people.
We ask for hope, Lord. Not for ourselves, rather, for all those across our nation who are wrestling with the reality of unemployment. They know despair; they know fear. Grant all who are looking for work today hope, dear Lord – hope in you, and hope in their futures. Fill them with confidence and courage that they might remain both committed to their job search and able to deal with the financial strain they feel. Help them to never lose hope in you, Lord. Grant them peace of mind and heart.
Good and gracious Lord, all your children look to you in their need, in their hurt. You alone can fill the spirits of the lowly and downtrodden; you alone can lift the hearts of all your people. Let hope be raised in the hearts of all your children. Guide those of us who are employed in building businesses and practices which always consider the needs and value of human labor, and the right of all of your children to apply their skills and experience at jobs which help them to care for themselves and their families. Allow all who are currently out there seeking work to be able to maintain their dignity and self-worth. Help us all to hold on dearly to the hope we are blessed to have within us. Amen.
For who makes you different? And what do you have that you didn’t receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? You are already filled. You have already become rich. You have come to reign without us. Yes, and I wish that you did reign, that we also might reign with you. For, I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last of all, like men sentenced to death. For we are made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You have honor, but we have dishonor. Even to this present hour we hunger, thirst, are naked, are beaten, and have no certain dwelling place. We toil, working with our own hands. When people curse us, we bless. Being persecuted, we endure. Being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world, the dirt wiped off by all, even until now. I don’t write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
Reading: 1 Corinthians 4: 7 – 14
Desktop Psalm - Confidence In God
Response: Hope and trust in the Lord your God.
Listen with faith, all who claim the Lord as God;
Listen with all your being, you who live in his creation.
Have you not seen the Lord God rain blessings
Upon those who are both poor and rich?
Have you not seen his goodness poured out
On all creatures of his making?
Does not our God, ruler of earth and heavens
Care for all of his children, his beings?
Can anyone among you say with assurance
That the Lord is not our God?
No – all his people look to him with confidence;
The hearts of the pure and good are trusting of his Word.
The evil and wicked may stand in fear of his power;
His children stand assured of his love for them.
Response: Hope and trust in the Lord your God.
Those who place their dependence upon the things of this world
Will find their hopes crumbling or dashed to pieces.
They who boast of their wealth have no treasure
Stored in the kingdom of the God who shelters his own.
The wise among us have seen that even the
Greatest of this world will succumb to the end of this life.
Only a fool trusts in a fortune built of empty promises;
The just rely on the greatness of God as their redemption.
None can buy the life given by the Lord;
No one can trade their wealth for eternity in heaven.
Only in God do the righteous place their trust.
In him alone to the faithful place their confidence.
Listen with faith, all who claim the Lord as God;
Listen with all your being, you who live in his creation.
Raise your voices in thanksgiving to the great God;
Hope and trust in the Lord your God.
Response: Hope and trust in the Lord your God.
TM
Prayers of Petition
(Optional response:Deliver your children from despair, good Lord.)
Do not allow us to surrender to the sense of hopelessness that can come from being unemployed or unable to work.
Do not allow us to perpetuate greed which restricts opportunity and eliminates jobs in today's economy.
Do not allow us to place profits ahead of people when making decisions at work.
Do not allow us to be overtaken by apathy or helplessness which demeans our spirits and clouds our futures.
Do not allow us to tolerate leadership that guides us down insensitive or destructive paths at work.
For the prayers and intentions of all members of the Votive Candle Prayer Network.
(please add your own intentions…)
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, loving friend – we extend our hands and our hearts to you in prayer, and in a spirit of hope. On one hand, we are happy and thankful, for we have been able to put our skills and experience to work to better ourselves and to care for our families. At the same time, we are saddened by the growing number of people who find themselves without work; we are aware of the hopelessness they feel.
Help us, Lord Jesus, to know what to do. For those of us who are employed, help us to make the right decisions and choices which will help provide jobs and security for others. For those among us who have recently found work, help them to share with those who are still searching the success stories and helpful practices that led to their finding a job. For those among us who are in fear for their jobs, help them to not lose hope; guide them in turning to you with their concerns and anxieties. Bless the attempts of all in your flock who are trying their best to be successful at work, at keeping their jobs, or at finding new work; do not allow us to forget our faith, our trust in you, our hope in the future.
Watch over all your followers – both those who labor and those seeking to work. Calm the fears that encroach on our minds and spirits; help us to enjoy the time we have away from work or our job searches with family and friends. Keep us all close to you, and protect us from all harm and unneeded anxiety. Amen.
Optional Activities
For Journaling and Reflection:
Where and how are you aware of waning or diminished hope in your workplace or community? What signs led to this awareness? What is being done to support those whose lives – especially during this holiday season – are stressed and strained?
What plans have you made/can you make to work with others in your community who have set out to provide support and hope for our unemployed? How can you and those in your community join forces to provide guidance and counsel for those who are nearing despair?
For Group Research & Discussion:
What resources exist in your community – your church, your town, your township or county – that provide relief services for those in need? How can their efforts and programs include the job seekers in the community?
What can your local faith community do to encourage those who are unemployed to seek help? How vocal and visible are the efforts to serve and support these sisters and brothers of yours? What additional steps could be taken to help every unemployed individual connect with the resources and help that is being made available?
What might various ministries within your community do to touch the lives of the unemployed during this holiday season?
To print or save a copy of today's prayers, click on the appropriate file, below:
A new day has dawned upon us, Father in heaven, and your children are grateful for the many blessings you have shared with your people throughout all of time. We are thankful for recent celebrations of family and friends which have enriched our lives and have provided us hope and encouragement for the future; we offer you thanks for having allowed us to share in the bounty of your love which continues to be poured out upon us day after day.
Your people turn to you in hope, dear Lord. We are hopeful that this day will be better than the last, that we will have more success in our efforts to find work than we have seen in recent days. We pray in hope that – even as we continue to struggle with our being unemployed – through our efforts to find work today, others will come to know you in new and helpful ways.
We pray and beg for hope, Lord. Not only for ourselves, but for all those across our nation who are wrestling with the reality of unemployment. We know despair; we know fear. Grant all who are looking for work today hope, dear Lord – hope in you, and hope in our futures. Fill us with confidence and courage that we might remain both committed to our job searches and able to deal with the financial strain that has visited us. Help us to never lose hope in you, Lord. Grant us peace of mind and heart.
Good and gracious Lord, all your children look to you in their need, in their hurt. You alone can fill the spirits of the lowly and downtrodden; you alone can lift the hearts of all your people. Let hope be raised in the hearts of all your children. Guide those around us who are employed in building businesses and practices which first consider the needs and value of human labor, and the right of all of your children to apply their skills and experience at jobs which help them to care for themselves and their families. Allow all who are currently out there seeking work to be able to maintain their dignity and self-worth. Help us all to hold on dearly to the hope we are blessed to have within us. Amen.
For who makes you different? And what do you have that you didn’t receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? You are already filled. You have already become rich. You have come to reign without us. Yes, and I wish that you did reign, that we also might reign with you. For, I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last of all, like men sentenced to death. For we are made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You have honor, but we have dishonor. Even to this present hour we hunger, thirst, are naked, are beaten, and have no certain dwelling place. We toil, working with our own hands. When people curse us, we bless. Being persecuted, we endure. Being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world, the dirt wiped off by all, even until now. I don’t write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
Reading: 1 Corinthians 4: 7 - 14
Desktop Psalm - I Am Overwhelmed, Lord Jesus
Response: Lord Jesus, to you I turn in the midst of my fears and
worries.
I am overwhelmed, Lord Jesus –
To you I turn in the midst of my fears and worries.
I know I can trust in your mercy and love
To rescue me from the evils that have imprisoned me.
I am concerned, Lord Jesus –
To you I turn to find the solutions I need.
I know that I find hope in your Word
To keep me above the fray that swirls around me.
Response: Lord Jesus, to you I turn in the midst of my fears and
worries.
I am afraid, Lord Jesus –
To you I turn for the guidance I desire.
I know that you have given all you have
To make real the treasure of salvation.
I am too weary, Lord Jesus –
To you I turn to help me fight this battle.
I know that you have prepared a path for me
To help me confront the reality of my anxieties.
Response: Lord Jesus, to you I turn in the midst of my fears and
worries.
I deliver myself to you, Lord Jesus –
To you I turn to beg your counsel and inspiration.
I know that you will not allow me to give in
To the temptation to surrender to my hardships.
I am overwhelmed, Lord Jesus –
To you I turn for the fortitude to carry on.
I know that my faith will help carry me
To be victorious over all that distresses me.
Response: Lord Jesus, to you I turn in the midst of my fears and
worries.
TM
Prayers of Petition
(Optional response:Deliver your children from despair, good Lord.)
Do not allow us to surrender to the sense of hopelessness that can come from being unemployed or unable to work.
Do not allow us to perpetuate greed which restricts opportunity and eliminates jobs in today's economy.
Do not allow us to place profits ahead of people when making decisions at work.
Do not allow us to be overtaken by apathy or helplessness which demeans our spirits and clouds our futures.
Do not allow us to tolerate leadership that guides us down insensitive or destructive paths at work.
For the prayers and intentions of all members of the Votive Candle Prayer Network.
(please add your own intentions…)
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, loving friend – we extend our hands and our hearts to you in prayer, and in a spirit of hope. On one hand, we are happy and thankful, for all the times when we have been able to put our skills and experience to work to better ourselves and to care for our families. But now, we are saddened and troubled because we are unable to find the work we need. We often feel hopeless, and too many of our nights are spent fighting the nightmares which visit us and add to our anxieties.
Help us, Lord Jesus, to know what to do. For those of us without work, help us in our efforts to bring this period of trail to an end. For those among us who are in fear for their jobs, help them to not lose hope; guide them in turning to you with their concerns and anxieties. For those among us who are employed, help them to make the right decisions and choices which will help provide jobs and security for others. For those among us who have recently found work, help them to share with those of us still searching the success stories and helpful practices that led to their finding a job. Bless the attempts of all in your flock who are trying their best to be successful at work, at keeping their jobs, or at finding new work; do not allow us to forget our faith, our trust in you, our hope in the future.
Watch over all your followers – both those who labor and those seeking work. Calm the fears that encroach on our minds and spirits; help us to enjoy the time we have away from work or our job searches with family and friends. Keep us all close to you, and protect us from all harm and unneeded anxiety. Amen.
Optional Activities
For Journaling and Reflection:
Where and how are you aware of waning or diminished hope in your own search for work? What signs led to this awareness? Who around you is aware of and concerned about your situation? And what are you doing to support those whose lives – especially during this holiday season – are experiencing the same stress and strain that you feel?
What plans have you made/can you make to work with others in your community who have set out to provide support and hope for others who are unemployed? How can you leverage your work search experiences to provide guidance and counsel for others who are unemployed?
For Group Research & Discussion:
What resources exist in your community – your church, your town, your township or county – that provide relief services for those in need? How can their efforts and programs include the job seekers in the community?
What can your local faith community do to encourage those who are unemployed to seek help? How vocal and visible are the efforts to serve and support these sisters and brothers of yours? What additional steps could be taken to help every unemployed individual connect with the resources and help that is being made available?
What might various ministries within your community do to touch the lives of the unemployed during this holiday season?
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