God at the Job

If you are looking to meet up with God, you might keep your eyes open at work.

From Genesis to Revelation

In Genesis One two commands are given to people: “Be fruitful . . . Rule over all living things.” In other words, have sex and work. The grand finale of Chapter One again directs our attention to sex and work. Sabbath honors work by limiting its demands, freeing us to think about its meaning and purpose. Sabbath reminds us we are not merely producers; we are partners with the Creator. Sabbath honors sex by setting aside protected time when we experience sex primarily as a feast of intimacy rather than mere hormonal satisfaction or baby-making.

I’ve explored sexuality and spirituality elsewhere. Here, I’ll focus on work.

In Genesis One work is seen as essential to the human experience. In Chapter Three, after sin, work is still seen as essential to the human experience. Fast forward to the end. Past Abraham and David, Isaiah and Daniel, past the crucifixion and resurrection, past the Second Coming to the very end, to the bliss of eternity. How does Revelation describe human life then?

Work. With God.

Revelation 22:5 pictures the saints on the throne with God reigning, a mirror of Genesis 1:26-28 that pictures humans created in the image of God and ruling, or, in other words, working.


Jesus and Work

Christian tradition is full of accounts of people whose zealous pursuit of intimacy with God led them into solitude. They imagined the most likely path to the richest possible intimacy with God would be to escape the distractions of regular life–business, politics, marriage, parenting, earning a living–and give themselves wholely to prayer and meditation. This ideal which stands behind monastic and eremitic traditions grows out of a misunderstanding of God. The Bible does not picture God as a still spirit residing in perfect eternal repose. Rather God is pictured as a worker. He is busy. And we are called to be busy with him.

Jesus, the Son of God, spent ninety percent of his years fully engaged in the routines of life–routines that would have included lots of regular work. During the last ten percent of his years, his “religious life,” he spent only one period of forty days on retreat and a few entire nights in prayer. Most of the time, even as a preacher, he spent most of his time engaged in public work. Once when questioned about his Sabbath healings, he replied, "My Father is always working and so am I" (John 5:17).

If we are going to follow the pattern of Jesus, we’ll spend most of our time in work.


Spiritual disciplines

Most of us need help in discerning God's presence and purpose in our job. We need greater sensitivity and awareness. What can we do about that? Spiritual disciplines like Sabbath-keeping, Bible reading, prayer, meditation and fasting are designed to increase our sensitivity to God’s presence and approval in our work.

In the Genesis story, even before sin had clouded humanity’s spiritual sensibilities, work was interrupted every seven days by the Sabbath. By ceasing their drive to produce, conquer, change or just to survive, by taking time–a whole day, not just a hour at worship–to reflect, they were more likely to discern where God was in their work. They were more likely to remember that in working they were partnering with God. We need the Sabbath every bit as much. And for the same reasons.

The nearly universal testimony of believers is that they need regular helps to keep them aware of God’s presence and favor. Some kind of daily practice–Bible reading, prayer, meditation, singing, contemplation–is essential for the cultivation of intimacy with God.

Spiritual work

So where is God at work? If you are a teacher, God is with you in your disappointment over students who have no interest in learning. God is with you in your anger at parents who sabotage their child’s learning. And God is with you in those moments when you know your teaching has touched a life. God is in the joy, however, rare it is, that comes from knowing that you have made a difference in a life.

If you are a boat builder, God is keeping you company in creation, even if sometimes it's messy, hot and smelly.

If you’re an accountant, God must laugh with satisfied delight when you make the dance of numbers come out just right. Why did God make a universe that seems designed by a mathematician if he doesn’t get the romance of numbers?

If you’re in health care, God is with you in your joy at recovery, your grief at loss and in your anger when you care for hostile or uncooperative patients. God, too, dreams of healing that could happen but won’t because of people’s failure to cooperate. God, too, delights in recovery.

Whether you are touching people directly as a massage therapist or touching things directly as a builder or mechanic or are working with something as ethereal as actuarial theories, God is keeping you company in your job. To be maximally aware of God’s presence in your place of employment, you’ll want to engage regularly in one or two spiritual practices. They will open your eyes.

Then, if you’re looking to meet up with God, just keep your eyes open at work.