By Demi Prentiss, reprinted from Living God’s Mission.
There is holiness in our work—paid and volunteer, work we’re called to and work we resist, work that’s rewarding and work that drains us. We come closer to making our life a prayer when we can discover that holiness. When we can perceive God present in the work itself.
My work colleague, Josh Anderson, composed this prayer and recently graced a staff meeting with his work. For me, it opens a door into a new vision of holiness in the everyday.
A Prayer for the Work beneath the Work
Before we begin,
let us remember that beneath every agenda there is a heart,
and beneath every report,
the quiet pulse of shared purpose.
We come together carrying many things—
tasks to complete, questions unresolved,
worries we haven’t yet named aloud.
The world beyond these walls feels unsteady,
and the ground beneath us sometimes shifts faster than we can find our footing.
Still, here we are.
Gathered.
Pausing before the work.
Listening for what is deeper than the noise.
Let us remember that even in seasons of change,
the Spirit does not abandon us.
It moves quietly among us,
in small mercies and steady hands,
in the grace of a kind word,
in the courage to keep showing up.
Stillness is not a waste of time—
it is the way the soul catches up to the body.
It is how we remember who we are
and why we do this work.
So may what is heavy find a place to rest.
May what is uncertain find patience.
May what feels fragmented find its wholeness again.
May what is hidden in shadow find light.
And may we—in this brief hour together—
remember that even in the work of planning and doing,
there is holiness.
That God is here,
in the silence before we begin,
in the words we will speak,
and in the quiet that follows when our work is done.
—Josh Anderson
The Green Room 