5 Prayers for Volunteers
If you are a volunteer, wanting to faithfully serve others, use these prayers for volunteers to ask the Lord to bless your hands in service.
There are many ways that we can use our time to contribute to God’s Kingdom, and to the well-being of others, both spiritually and physically. One of those ways is through volunteering and giving our time in places where there is a need.
It can be challenging, and time-consuming to be a volunteer. A lot of what you are doing does not come with any compensation, and sometimes you may not even receive any acknowledgment. But as a volunteer, your heart is not to be applauded, it is to serve others, as Christ has called you to.
If you’re a volunteer, here are a few prayers that you can pray to keep your heart focused on the cause of Christ, and to be a blessing to those who you reach.
Prayers for Volunteers
1. Prayer for Faithfulness
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.” – Galatians 5:22
Lord,
Thank You for blessing me with the opportunity to serve others in Christ’s name. I know that the time I spend serving You and serving others is not in vain. I admit, sometimes it is easy to feel selfish with my time and with the gifts and resources that You have given me.
But I know that those gifts, resources, and my life as a whole were never meant to be lived for myself alone and my desires. I am grateful to know that the desire to serve others in itself is something You have given me and that it serves a purpose that I don’t even fully comprehend in my time on earth.
As I volunteer over this time, I ask that You would help me to grow in the fruit of the Spirit. Help me to reflect Christ more and more, and to walk in His ways. I ask that You would help me to grow in love toward the people who I will be serving. Help me to see them the way that You see them. They, like me, are made in Your image, and You desire for none of them to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Please help me to be a reflection of Christ to them, and not only to grow in love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, and goodness. But also to grow in faithfulness toward You and toward those whom I have committed to serving. Keep me from being distracted, and keep my eyes fixed on You.
No matter how hard it may be, or the obstacles that come, help me to remain faithful to You, knowing that my reward comes from You and that Your purposes will be accomplished. In Jesus’ name, amen.
2. Pray to Lean on God’s Strength
“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:10
Father,
Today I recognize that the very breath that I am breathing is a result of Your grace over my life. Thank You so much for a new day, and for the opportunity to volunteer my time toward Your Kingdom’s purposes.
Sometimes it can be easy to rely on my own skills or understanding and to do what appears to be Your work without relying on You for strength or being led by You.
Please forgive me for the times that I have attempted to do good works without acknowledging You or with the wrong heart’s intentions. As I start this day, I fully acknowledge that I cannot do anything without You.
Please remove any self-trust and dependency from me, and lead me to lean on Your strength and wisdom. Help me to meditate on Your word daily, and allow Your word to seep into the deepest corners of my heart and mind.
Please be with me throughout this day, and grant me the right words when I need them. Words that will encourage, build up, and point others to You. Strengthen me by Your Holy Spirit, especially in times when I am facing hardships, insults or discouragement.
May Your joy be my strength in every season, and help me to deny myself daily and pick up my cross, following Your example. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
3. Prayer for God to Direct Your Works
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10
God,
Thank You for the work that You have done in my heart, and the work You are doing in my life. The more I grow in my faith, the more I want to dedicate time to the things that You value and that You have created me to do. In Your word, it says that I am Your handiwork, who You created in Christ Jesus to do good works.
Sometimes there are so many different things in front of me, but I know that I cannot do everything or be everything to everyone, it is ultimately You that they need and who I need to be pointing them to words, to begin with.
Knowing that there’s limited time in a day, I ask that You would steer me in the direction that You want me to go. Help me to be attentive to the leading of Your Spirit, and to be obedient when You call on me to do something or to go somewhere.
May my hands and feet do the work of Christ, and bring glory to His name. Help me not to be idle, or to serve for recognition or the applause of others, but to serve out of love for Christ and the desire to see others experience His love as well.
Your word says that the good works that You have created me for are works that You have prepared in advance. This means that I can rest in the knowledge that You will lead me to the works that You have prepared for me to do and that I can trust in Your direction and timing. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
4. Prayer for Seek His Kingdom Above All Else
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:33
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for sending Jesus, and Jesus, thank You that You came. It is so mind-blowing to think that You left Your position in heaven, at the right hand of the Father, and took on the form of man.
You became like one of us, that You might live the life that we were meant to live but couldn’t live, and die the death reserved for us, that would have caused our demise.
But You were the only man who could meet the righteous requirements of the law, and You became the spotless sacrifice for all mankind. Now I not only get to be right with God, but I am a part of His Kingdom that will far outlast this world we live in today.
Knowing this, I know that seeking the comfort of this present time is a vain pursuit and that seeking Your Kingdom and righteousness is where life is found.
As I volunteer, my prayer is that those who I come in contact with will be able to see Christ in my words, actions, and demeanor. We live in a world that is filled with darkness, my prayer is that You would use me as Your light in this dark world.
May Your Kingdom always be at the forefront of my mind, and may I be reminded that I am in Your mission field every day. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
5. Prayer for His Protection Over You
“Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent, who devise ways to trip my feet.” – Psalm 140:4
Lord,
As I set out to serve others today, I ask that You would be with me. Please keep me safe in Your grasp from any physical harm throughout the day. I know when it comes to doing Your work, it can be easy to be sidetracked or to be opposed by others who reject You. My prayer is that You would be with me, and shield me from any danger.
I know that every day we are in the midst of a spiritual battle. Though the darkness can feel as though it is overcoming the world, I know that You have already won the victory over the dark.
Each day as I volunteer, I ask that You would protect my heart and mind from thoughts that are not of You. Please help me to put aside any thoughts that are discouraging me from serving others and from following where You lead me.
I ask that You would enfold me in Your armor, placing the helmet of salvation on my head, the breastplate of righteousness on my chest, the belt of truth around my waist, and the shoes of the gospel of peace on my feet. Help me to stand firm, with faith as my shield and Your word as my sword in this battle. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
