Prayers for Every Volunteer

By Lisa Flinn
From A Moment With God for Volunteers, Dimensions for Living, 1999, pp. 19 & 38

Cooking for a Crowd
This is what I have seen to be good: it is fitting to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil. -Ecclesiastes 5:18a
Lord of the harvest, Standing on the threshold of the kitchen with clean hands, fresh aprons, and willing hearts, we offer thanksgiving for a harvest of wonderful foods to prepare. We appreciate the workplace, where we can shred and slice, layer or mix, saut and simmer, or slide baking pans in and out of the oven. As we measure, season, taste, and time, we thank you for the culinary talents you've given us and for the happiness we feel when the aroma of bubbling soup, warm bread, and fragrant pies welcomes our hungry crowd. When we finish today with clean dishes, dirty aprons, and tired feet, we pray that we will have served you by serving others their daily bread.

Feeling Overwhelmed
Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. -2 Corinthians 9:7
My Lord Help, I've done it again. I've overbooked, overcommitted, and overextended myself; now I'm overwhelmed. It's a busy season, and when I said yes to this and that I didn't listen to the warning bells going off in my mind. I feel panicky about taking care of everything I promised to do. I'm suddenly klutzy and grumpy and acting self-righteous. Please, God, see me through the next couple of weeks. I need a better attitude and lots of energy. I will be more realistic the next time around. No one expects me to be a superhero-least of all, you.

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