Embarking on any new adventure can be intimidating. We don’t know what lies ahead, and we are putting ourselves, our safety, and our future at stake. It can be both fun and overwhelming, exciting but frightening, all of which are valid feelings.
A business venture is both a challenge and an opportunity that can take a few scary steps. We won’t have the assurance that our business will succeed, and there are a lot of factors we can’t control.
Furthermore, facing bumps in the road can be demotivating or even threatening for some. A business’s lifespan does not end in a successful launch or even hitting monthly revenue goals because there are a lot of obstacles (many of which are unavoidable) to overcome.
Whether we’re faced with a daunting new business venture or are trying to get through a rough patch, it’s important to keep a clear head, a positive mindset, and a hopeful heart every step of the way.
Prayer for success of business
Almighty God,
I come before Your presence kneeling in praise. You have been there with me since before I was born, carefully laying out Your grand but mysterious plan for my humble life. You have been with me through the joys of my childhood, through the adventures of my adolescence, and through the ups and downs of my adulthood. You have been with me through life’s highs and lows, and I find comfort in knowing that You will not forsake me through this new door that has opened in my life.
Lord God, You have been the perfect Father but I have never even come close to being an excellent servant. I am flawed, I am imperfect, and I am far from the missionary You deserve. I have failed you many times and have broken countless promises, yet here You still are, comforting me with Your gentle hand. Still, you continue to bless me. Still, you continue to give me strength and courage. I commit sin over and over again, yet You still hold me close and teach me to do better. Thank you for Your patience with me whenever I stumble and fall over and over again.
There are so many things I am grateful for. I am thankful for the gift of life, the gift of love, the gift of friends, family, and the beautiful world around me. But at this moment, I want to take the time to thank You for starting another chapter of my life. This business is an uncharted sea for me, but I know that with Your guidance and strength, I will conquer the waves and rise to meet the challenges. With You raising me up, I know I can achieve business success.
I pray for Your love, that it may keep me going in spite of hardship. I pray for strength, so that I may stand up even if I fall a hundred times along the way. I pray for wisdom, so that I may learn from every step and stumble. Most of all, I pray for Your presence, because knowing that you will be with me in this journey is enough to keep me going. I also pray for humility, so that whatever heights I reach, I will humbly remember my roots and give back to those who will need my help. Use this opportunity to remind me of Your insurmountable power and love for me, enough to plunge me to victory. I pray for success, prosperity, and abundance in this new business venture of mine as I carry Your banner.
These I ask in Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Short prayer for success in business
Lord God, please give me Your love, guidance, wisdom, strength, and motivation to start this business venture and achieve success. This business venture ahead of me is daunting, unpredictable, and challenging. Instil courage in my heart so that I can brave my fears. I know that alone, I can never withstand the hardships ahead, but with You, I am unstoppable. You alone can help me, and it is in You alone that I put my wholehearted faith and trust. Please guide me onward to victory. Amen.
The Word of God
It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice.
Psalm 112:5 NRSVUE
Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 4:10-11 NRSVUE
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Whatever task you must do, work as if your soul depends on it, as for the Lord and not for humans,
Colossians 3:17, 3:23 NRSVUE
Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NRSVUE
Intercessory prayer to Saint Homobonus
Saint Homobonus, patron saint of business people and trade craftsmen, you worked diligently to hone your craft, to dedicate your work to the people around you, and to give back to the church.
I come before you asking for your help in calling upon the Almighty Lord’s blessing for the success of my business. Help me pray to Him that He may not only grant me prosperity, but also the kindness to use His blessings to help others. I pray for bravery so that I will not cower in the face of uncertainties knowing that God will light my path. I pray for your wisdom in seeking the guidance of His hand so that whatever fruits I may reap from investing time, efforts, and resources in my business, I will be able to use them to help the poor and the needy.
By His grace and will, I know that I and my business will be a blessing to the less fortunate. I know that with you helping me in seeking His help, my prayers will be heard.
Saint Homobonus, pray for me.
Amen.
Further reflection
A business venture is both an opportunity and a challenge. It is an opportunity to learn new skills, unlock income streams, give value to others by offering solutions to their problems, and meet new people. It is also a challenge in the sense that it tests everything we have learned in the past: leadership, teamwork, resourcefulness, creativity, risk management, and most of all, faith–in ourselves as business people and in God as the center of our mission.
On some days, we will face forks in the road and bumps in the path. We will be forced to make difficult decisions and trust God that we chose the right path. We will encounter many more challenges that will tempt us to turn back and return to where we started. And yet, there will also be days where we just won’t fathom how far we’ve come, how we’ve endured so much and grown spiritually since then. We will reflect upon our successes and thank God that the storms have strengthened us into a person who is capable of enduring the unknown.
Every now and then, sit down. Whether we’re hitting goals or hitting lows, sit down and think of all the things we are thankful for. Throughout our lives, we have achieved so many little goals that, with God’s blessings, have compounded into massive returns. Count every blessing, every goal achieved, and remember to pray for guidance.
The journey won’t get easier, but we will get better. To God be the highest glory.
