Orthodox prayers for a difficult boss or coworker

These prayers are for an angry boss, a hard coworker or a workplace that wears you down. They ask God for mercy, and for favour with the people over you.

Picture: Hendrick ter Brugghen, Jacob Reproaching Laban, 1627

3 prayers

When you are treated with contempt

Psalm 123

To You I lift up my eyes,O You Who are enthroned in the heavens.

As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master,as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress,so our eyes look to the LORD our God,until He has mercy on us.

Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy on us,for we have had more than enough of contempt.

Our soul has had more than enoughof the scorn of those who are at ease,of the contempt of the proud.

Traditional wording, 1611

Unto Thee lift I up mine eyes, O Thou that dwellest in the heavens.

Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that He have mercy upon us.

Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.

Pray it on days when you are looked down on or mocked at work. Its singers have had their fill of scorn, and they look to God the way servants watch their master’s hand, until He shows mercy.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Hebrew, with the King James Version beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: The King James translators, The King James Version, 1611.

Where it comes from, and the original

When your boss is angry

Remember, O Lord, David

Lord, remember Davidand all his meekness:how he swore to the Lordand made a vow to the God of Jacob:“I will not go into my own housenor climb into my bed;I will not give sleep to my eyes,nor slumber to my eyelids,nor rest to my head,until I find a place for the Lord,a dwelling for the God of Jacob.”

We heard of it in Ephrathah;we found it in the fields of the forest.Let us go into His dwelling place;let us worship at the place where His feet have stood.

Arise, Lord, into Your resting place,You and the ark of Your holiness.Your priests will clothe themselves with righteousness,and Your holy ones will rejoice.For the sake of David Your servant,do not turn away the face of Your anointed.

The Lord swore a true oath to David,and He will not go back on it:“I will set on your throneone of the fruit of your body.If your sons keep My covenantand these testimonies of Mine that I will teach them,their sons too will sit on your throne for ever.”

For the Lord has chosen Zion;He has desired her for His dwelling:“This is My resting place for ever and ever;here I will dwell, for I have desired her.I will richly bless her provision;I will satisfy her poor with bread.I will clothe her priests with salvation,and her holy ones will rejoice with great joy.There I will make a horn spring up for David;I have prepared a lamp for My anointed.I will clothe his enemies with shame,but on him My holiness will flourish.”

Traditional wording, 1851

Lord, remember David, and all his meekness:how he sware to the Lord, and vowed to the God of Jacob, saying,I will not go into the tabernacle of my house; I will not go up to the couch of my bed;I will not give sleep to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eyelids, nor rest to my temples,until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

Behold, we heard of it in Ephratha; we found it in the fields of the wood.Let us enter into His tabernacles: let us worship at the place where His feet stood.

Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest; Thou, and the ark of Thine holiness.Thy priests shall clothe themselves with righteousness; and Thy saints shall exult.For the sake of Thy servant David turn not away the face of Thine anointed.

The Lord sware in truth to David, and He will not annul it, saying, Of the fruit of thy body will I set a king upon thy throne.If thy children will keep My covenant, and these My testimonies which I shall teach them, their children also shall sit upon thy throne for ever.

For the Lord has elected Sion, He has chosen her for a habitation for Himself, saying,This is My rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have chosen it.I will surely bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread.I will clothe her priests with salvation; and her saints shall greatly exult.There will I cause to spring up a horn to David: I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed.His enemies will I clothe with shame; but upon himself shall My holiness flourish.

Show the whole prayer

The Russian prayer book gives this whole psalm as its prayer for a time when those in authority are angry. It opens by asking God to remember the meekness of David, who held no grudge against King Saul.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic of the Russian prayer book and the Greek of the Septuagint, with Brenton’s 1851 English beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: Lancelot C. L. Brenton, The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament, 1851.

In verse 11 Brenton adds “a king”, which is not in the Greek.

Where it comes from, and the Church Slavonic

Before you ask your boss for something

Nehemiah’s prayer for success

Lord, I beg You,let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servantand to the prayer of Your servantswho delight to revere Your name.

Please give Your servant success today,and let me find mercy in the sight of this man.

Traditional wording, 1611

O LORD, I beseech Thee, let now Thine ear be attentive to the prayer of Thy servant,and to the prayer of Thy servants, who desire to fear Thy name:

and prosper, I pray Thee, Thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.

Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king of Persia. He asked God for mercy “in the sight of this man” before he dared to ask the king for leave to rebuild Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:11; 2:4-5).

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Hebrew, with the King James Version beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: The King James translators, The King James Version, 1611.

The King James Version has “grant him mercy”. Nehemiah means himself, so the plain wording says “me”.

Where it comes from, and the original

Scripture for this

If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest.

Ecclesiastes 10:4 If a ruler’s temper flares against you, do not leave your post. Calmness lays great offences to rest.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away anger, and a harsh word stirs it up.

⁶You know that I have served your father with all my strength. ⁷And although he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, God has not allowed him to harm me.

Genesis 31:6-7 Jacob served Laban with all his strength while Laban changed his wages 10 times, yet God did not let Laban harm him.

Thus the administrators and satraps sought a charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no charge or corruption, because he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him.

Daniel 6:4 Daniel’s fellow officials searched his work for a fault and found none, because he was trustworthy.

If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone.

Romans 12:18 As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone, the people you work with included.

Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.

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