Another Look by David Faust

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12).

Monday mornings can be tough.

You see it in the eyes of business leaders as they head back to the office. You sense it in your kids as they brace themselves for another week of school. Blue collar and white collar workers alike carry the burdens of Monday morning as the weight of the work-week settles onto their shoulders.

In recent years the burdens seem even heavier. We didn’t realize how good we had it back in the 1990s. Oh, we worried about Y2K and the possibility of a worldwide computer glitch when the clock ticked midnight on December 31, 1999. We complained about the economy, griped about our political leaders, and worried about Wall Street. But we didn’t realize that thousands would lose their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We didn’t foresee that security measures would become more time-consuming or that we faced a recession and unprecedented economic turmoil.

But if we were paying attention, we realized a vital truth: No matter what happens, we need God. We need him in our marriages and families, in our careers and our relationships. We need him in our nation and in our neighborhood. We need him at work on Monday just as much as we need him at church on Sunday.
The God who created the universe is also the God of Monday morning. So let’s ask God to guide our moments and our days in the new year.

Everlasting Father,
You are eternal and timeless, the God of forever. Yet, time is one of your most precious gifts. I want to manage my time well, but it’s difficult to do so in this frantic world. Since time management is an act of stewardship, Lord, I ask for your help.

Help me, Father, to plan my days wisely and to do so with humility, remembering that you can change my plans whenever you want.

Help me to organize my time well and keep your priorities foremost in my planning, so that my schedule will reflect what you consider most important.

Allow me to put in an honest day’s work, serving wholeheartedly and with a proper attitude, “as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23).

And Father, help me to balance work with time for my family and friends, time for recreation, and time for spiritual renewal.

Keep me from wasting time. Weed out of my life any foolish and time-consuming pursuits that benefit no one.

Help me to accept occasional interruptions as opportunities for serving others. Help me to make the most of every opportunity—even the unexpected ones. Remind me that people are more important than any paper on my desk or any item on my to-do list. Help me to love and listen, to genuinely connect and care.

And Father, help me to find adequate time for rest.

Teach me the secret of when to act decisively and when to wait patiently.

Help me to see life from your eternal perspective.

You are the Lord of all my moments, all my days. Teach me to “number my days aright.” I devote this day and this coming year to you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Note: The article above is adapted from a new book by David Faust called Monday Morning Prayers: Starting Your Work-Week With God (CCU Resources, 2010). The book contains 52 prayers—one for every week of the year—with additional prayers for holidays and special seasons. For more information go to 
www.ccuniversity.edu