We continue our series of prayers for field areas today. Our hope is that each prayer will encourage those in a particular subject area in the specificity of their daily work, while also giving those in other fields a glimpse into how their colleagues are glorifying God in different areas of inquiry. Our hope is for these prayers to be revisited over time, so many of them make reference to things we may not be doing in the ordinary way right now during the pandemic, for instance visiting a lab. Please feel free to adjust each prayer to fit your current circumstances, or to pray in hope for the restoration of regular activities, in whatever way you find most helpful. If you’re inspired by the series and want to contribute a prayer, you can submit a prayer for those in your field area and a short bio here. For others in the series, click here.
Lord, you are the Maker, Creator, and Perfecter of all things. You made us in your image, and you wove in us the desire and ability to create and design as architects, helping to shape our world into a more equitable, functional, and beautiful place.
May we start our days seeking you rather than fretting about pressing deadlines. What is your vision for our work in this day? The designs we develop and the insights that we glean from research, drawing, modeling, and prototyping do not come from our own genius but spring from you.
Lord, as the day wears on, we ask for joy, patience, and focus as we persevere in our classes and design studios. Remind us that our work is for your glory and not simply for the (dis)pleasure of our critics. When we do receive critique, help us to listen with humility and discern what is helpful. Encourage us when we find ourselves without inspiration, and help us to learn from our past iterations as we create new ones.
In the evening, Lord, we ask for extra grace for ourselves and for those around us. When we feel pressured to push beyond our limits, remind us that you give us rest as a gift, a reminder of our own humanity and of your sovereignty. May we rejoice in the knowledge that you, our Creator God, are always at work, even while we sleep. We ask that you give us the rest we need to be refreshed, to continue in our design work in the days to come.
In your son’s precious name,
Amen.
Emily Lo Gibson is a Masters candidate in the department of Architecture at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Her work focuses on disaster risk reduction, particularly community-led rebuilding after disasters and architecture as a tool for healing. She has worked with organizations and communities in Haiti, Japan, Cambodia, and Sierra Leone. You can find her in the Boston area where she is involved with the MIT Graduate Christian Fellowship (an InterVarsity group) and her church community.