God Sees Your Invisible Labor - Nightly Prayer Devotional

God Sees the Invisible Labor

Your Nightly Prayer

Tonight’s Scripture

“May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” - Ruth 2:12

Something to Ponder

Day in and day out, the unnoticed work we do can become mundane and boring, even unbearable at times, whether it’s our routine at home, at school, in the office, or even at church.

Often, our contributions are taken for granted by those around us who may not even realize how much they benefit from our tireless efforts. Immediate rewards may not ever come from those who benefit from our labor.

As well, even prayer can sometimes seem like labor, especially when we’re committed to praying continually and feel like nothing is being accomplished.

But although our work may go unnoticed by those around us, God sees, especially in our prayers. He hears, He listens, and He is at work.

Laboring in prayer is kind of an old-fashioned term, but the truth is, prayer can feel laborious, along with often feeling like it isn’t making a difference and doesn’t matter, or even count in the whole scheme of eternity.

Yet, unlike many humans who hunger for public recognition, God does many things in secret, things we don’t know about and may not ever know about in our lifetime. Because He values things done in secret, He values the hidden things we do that no other person may ever know about. Still, He knows, and it matters to Him.

It seems, too, that it may matter more to Him than the things we are doing out in the open, where others notice and appreciate our efforts, because we’ve already received our reward.

Jesus talks about it in Matthew 6:2, explaining, “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”

He goes on to explain in Matthew 6:3-5 how the Father personally rewards us when we do things in secret. “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

God sees our invisible labor and openly rewards us for it because it matters to Him.

Your Nightly Prayer

Dear Father, help me to accomplish invisible labor with the right attitude and heart. When I start to feel like it doesn’t matter, remind me that You see and You reward me. Strengthen me to push through when the labor is tiring, and I want to give up, especially when it comes to laboring in prayer. Remind me that it matters to You. Teach me to endure and push through, to be faithful in hidden things, even when it seems like nothing is being accomplished through my prayers. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Three Things to Meditate Upon

1. Do Jesus’ words concerning how our Heavenly Father sees our hidden work cause you to reevaluate how you see and feel about your invisible labor?

2. Consider the invisible labor others do on your behalf. Do you see them being rewarded by others, or have you noticed how they seem to walk in God’s favor and blessing more than others who are openly praised for their work?

3. Have Jesus’ words changed your mind concerning invisible work? Do you want to receive your rewards from God, more than people?

Reflect on tonight’s prayer and share how God met you there. Join the Your Nightly Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.

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