Here are a variety of prayers produced by ICF for use in public and private worship. We are happy for you to copy and use them, provided their source is acknowledged and publications in which they appear are not sold for profit.

 

 

The ICF Prayer

 

God the Creator, bless me in the things that I do today.

God the Spirit, guide me in the things that I think and plan today.

God the Redeemer, forgive and make good the things that I might spoil today.

In all my work may I find you with me,

and look to the day when all things will be made new

in what you have yet to create in your wisdom and boundless love.

 

When the workplace is tough

 

God whose presence is known

In the still small voice and the burning fire,

May I not seek You

Only to find places of calm,

But also to lead me to the raging storm.

 

When Monday morning brings me

Into the midst of opposition,

And nine-to-five is a cauldron of criticism,

Where no options are easy

And every path is hard to tread,

Help me not to question “Why me?”

But rather ask how You can be made known.

 

Help me to realise Your presence in me

Not for the sake of my own well-being

But that Your truth may be declared,

Your Gospel made known

And Your Kingdom extended.

 

Whatever my workplace, wherever the task

May I truly be a living sacrifice,

Refined by every experience.

That your likeness may be more clearly revealed

As I take up my cross daily

And follow You.

 

 

Work as Vocation

 

Living God

Creator of all things

The foundation and purpose of everything

Is ultimately to be found in You

 

Inspire us with that truth

When work is routine and repetitive

As well as exciting and innovative.

When tasks are difficult and frustrating

As well as satisfying and fulfilling.

 

In a world that offers so many rewards

And fuels a multitude of ambitions

Help me to look to you

To define my purpose

And to offer my toil and endeavour in its pursuit.

 

May your presence within me

The faith that I cherish

And the values I pursue

Enrich the working lives of everyone I encounter

As I offer the whole of my life

In living sacrifice to You

 AMEN

 

Work life balance

 

Timeless God, at the dawn of our existence

You set the Rhythms of the Universe in motion.

Day follows night as the earth spins her course,

Heralding each new season

As year follows year.

The mountain streams flow into rivers

That fill the Oceans

Whose vapours are caught up in the clouds

To be poured out again

On the misty mountain peaks

 

And the Rhythms that we so often follow

Seem so puny when compared.

The nine to five and morning rush

The nightshift, day shift and working time directive

Ttimetables, tachographs and meeting plans

The TV listings and appointments at the Gym

 

When you send us sunshine

We turn up the air conditioning

And the Golden tones of Autumn

Make their apology as leaves on the line

 

Help us loving Father

In the busyness of schedules of our own creating

To seek out your Rhythm

And live lives that pulsate to the beat

Set by the one who holds this world together

 

AMEN

 

 

 

       In a world vibrating with action,

       Help us to be still

       In a world of tight schedules and deadlines

       Help us to absorb the present

       In a world of limits and frustrations

       May we meet the unchanging God

       And know His Peace.

 

 

Interacting with others

 

Creator God

Help me to see today’s clients and customers as you see them

Created in Your image

And purposed by Your will

Help their needs, complaints and frustrations

To be the means through which

I can reflect Your image in me

As I fufil my calling

To be a minister of Your love and grace.

 

Witness in the workplace

 

Living God

Present in all things and all places

Help me to know that wherever I may go today

You will always be with me.

 

May Your Spirit rest within me

Making me more like you

So that wherever I am present

People may sense that You are present.

 

Though You are everywhere

Be in the world today through me.

May my actions be a demonstration of Your love;

My words the vehicle of Your counsel;

My attitude an expression of Your nature;

My concerns a reflection of Your heart.

 

And help me Lord

Not to pray that I may be kept from hostile places

But rather that in their darkness

Your light may shine through me

 

Amen

 

 

Lord God, you called us to follow you

And to be your witnesses in all situations

Help us to know that you are with us,

Dwelling in our midst

Even in those things that might not at first sight strike us as your concern.

Help us to find you in the everyday things

So that we may reflect your love in the places where we live and work.

 

 

 

 

The world of the arts

 

All seeing God

I turn on my TV

And am enthralled by glorious images of a world you have created.

I switch the channel,

And feel appalled by the language and attitudes

That we as humans have chosen to portray.

 

Art is your gift to us

A blank canvas

Through which we can journey

Into a deeper understanding of ourselves and of You

 

Forgive us Lord

If the images we paint or the words we craft

Obscure Your Image

When it could have been more clearly revealed.

 

Forgive us too

If we have been too quick to judge.

Critical of those who in art

Have confronted us with images we do not wish to see

Introduced us to worlds we would rather not visit

Presented us with realities we would rather ignore.

But which deeply matter to You

 

All seeing God

To be human, is to be able to create

And to appreciate creation.

Help us use this gift

To see Your world as You would see it

 

AMEN

 

 

  Industrial Christian Fellowship - Prayers