Personal Labor Day Prayers
Here are several prayers to use to personally ask God’s help and blessing on our labors and on our work. These can be used in mediation and reflection on Labor Day or at other times when considering our work lives. These prayers are lyrics taken from hymns written by Charles Wesley. (1707-1788)
Servant of All, to Toil for Man
By Charles Wesley
Servant of all, to toil for man
Thou didst not, Lord, refuse;
They majesty did not disdain
To be employed for us.
Son of the carpenter, receive
This humble work of mine;
Worth to my meanest labor give
By joining it to thine.
End of my every action thou,
In all things thee I see;
Accept my hallowed labor now,
I do it unto thee.
Thy bright example I pursue,
To thee in all things rise;
And all I think or speak or do
Is one great sacrifice.
Careless through outward cares I go,
From all distraction free;
My hands are but engaged below,
My heart is still with thee.
Forth in Thy Name
By Charles Wesley, 1707-1788
Forth in they name, O Lord, I go,
My daily labor to pursue;
Thee, only thee, resolved to know
In all I think or speak or do.
The task thy wisdom hath assigned,
O let me cheerfully fulfill;
In all my works thy presence find,
And prove they good and perfect will.
Give me to bear they easy yoke,
And every moment watch and pray;
And still to thins eternal look,
And hasten to thy glorious day;
For thee delightfully employ
What e’er thy bounteous grace hath given;
And run my course with even joy,
And closely walk with thee to heaven.
