Where do you spend most of your waking hours each week?
For many of us, the answer is simple: work. Whether it’s in an office, job site, or home, work takes up a huge part of our lives—roughly 90,000 hours over a lifetime.
For some, that’s a sobering thought. Work can feel like a grind—endless, exhausting, sometimes even meaningless. You might find yourself wondering, Is this it? Is this really what I’m made for? Does this matter at all?
When we start asking those questions, we’re actually closer to something important—something the Bible doesn’t shy away from. Because the truth is, work was always meant to be more than survival or stress. It was meant to be sacred.
From the Beginning: Work Was Good
Work didn’t show up in the story after things went wrong—it was there from the very beginning.
From the onset, humans were invited to participate with God—to cultivate, create, build, and care for what he made. Human work was a way to reflect the image of a working God.
And God really is a worker. Just read Genesis 1 and 2. He’s designing galaxies (astronomy), filling the seas (marine biology), painting the skies (art), establishing boundaries (governance), assigning purpose (leadership), and speaking light into darkness (electrician, maybe?). God’s not just a Creator—but a laborer. We’re made in his image, which means work is part of who we were made to be.
But it doesn’t take long before something breaks. In Genesis 3, sin enters the story—and with it, the goodness of work is marred by toil. Instead of fruitfulness, we feel frustration. Instead of calling, we feel confusion. Instead of joy, we get exhaustion. We still work, but now the ground fights back.
This is the tension we live in. We were made to work with God. But now we often feel like work is without him—or worse, against what he intended.
Modern Work, Familiar Struggles
It turns out that tension is still very much alive today.
Barna found some telling trends among working Christians:
- 69% of employees feel disengaged during working hours.
- Less than 50% of millennials, Gen X, and Boomers believe they’re doing the work they were “made for.”
- Only 28% are integrators—actively connecting faith and work in meaningful ways.
- The remaining Christians either compartmentalize their faith or are onlookers at work. They aren’t quite sure how faith and work go together.
In other words, most Christians aren’t sure what their job has to do with their faith. Does God care about what I do from 9 to 5? How do I follow Jesus at work when no one else is? What does “faith at work” even look like in my industry?
When we lose sight of God’s story, we chase meaning in all the wrong places. The desire isn’t wrong—but where we look for it often is.
The invitation is to stop chasing significance and start working with God, not just for ourselves.
Work & Worship
What does it look like to work with God at work? When we ask, “How does my faith intersect with my job?” the answers we often give feel like high-bar, last-step ideas—start a Bible study, pray with co-workers during lunch, give away a bigger chunk of your paycheck.
Those are good things. But let’s be honest: they take a certain personality, position, or season of life to pull off.
So, what then?
It starts here: God has placed you where you are on purpose.
Your job, your team, your skillset, your strengths and quirks—they’re not accidents. Experiencing God at work doesn’t always mean doing more “Christian” things. Often, it just means paying closer attention, working with more intention, and trusting that God is forming you—even in the ordinary.
Here are a few ways to experience God at work next week:
1. Be Faithful in the Details
Doing your work well—on time, with care, with craftsmanship—is a way to reflect the character of God. Whether you're coding, cleaning, teaching, building, or budgeting, small acts of diligence reveal a big God who does everything with excellence.
Ask: Where can I be just 5% more focused or faithful today?
2. Practice Quiet Integrity
You bear God’s image when you tell the truth, own mistakes, avoid gossip, and refuse shortcuts. Integrity might not win awards, but it builds trust—and points people to something deeper.
Ask: Where is integrity being tested in my work?
3. Stay Curious and Coachable
God forms us through our work. Each task, conflict, or challenge is a chance to grow in wisdom and character. Stay open. Ask questions. Be teachable.
Ask: What might God be teaching me through this situation or person?
4. Be a Non-Anxious Presence
You don’t have to be the loudest person to shape the culture. Gentleness, patience, and kindness often speak loudest in quiet, consistent ways.
Ask: How can I bring calm and kindness into my workplace today?
5. Celebrate Others
We reflect God when we lift others up. Recognize a teammate’s effort. Celebrate a win that wasn’t yours. Let someone else shine.
Ask: Who can I affirm or encourage today—and genuinely mean it?
6. Be Present to What's in Front of You
Multitasking and distraction disconnect us from people and purpose. But God meets us in the present moment.
Ask: How can I give my full attention to this task or person right now?
You don’t need to be someone else. You don’t need a new job. You don’t need a louder faith.
You need to remember that God is already at work, and he’s inviting you to join him, right where you are, and trust that your work—done with excellence, integrity, and humility—is a sacred way to experience God.
Looking for more ways to incorporate the spiritual into your everyday routines? Check out this additional blog from Addison and learn how to practice spiritual disciplines in community.
