A Prayer for Chemists

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. 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.

Father, God, you are the maker of all the universe contains. Each quark, atom, and molecule is but a note in the symphony that is your grand design of all matter. We marvel at how you have imbued order to these seemingly innumerable particles, and even more that you invite us to participate in discovering this grand design. To study chemistry is to glimpse how your hand shapes the smallest of material elements into the entirety of the visible world, both microscopic and macroscopic.

As we seek to discover the laws that govern the behavior of protons and electrons, substrates and catalysts, we humbly request your wisdom, guidance, and protection.

We pray for divine inspiration as we scour the literature for new areas of study, or ways to advance the state of the art.

We seek direction as we attempt to uncover JUST the right conditions for a successful experiment.

We ask for a spirit of cooperation between researchers, since we all desire the betterment of humanity through our work.

We plead for a hedge of protection around all who labor in the lab, as we handle potentially hazardous substances and equipment with the caution and respect they require.

We ask that you would help us to be good stewards of the matter you have entrusted to us, not wanting to contribute to the destruction of the natural world in any way, even as we work to manipulate the very building blocks of life.

We seek clarity of expression as we report our results, humility to accept suggestions from reviewers, and the realization that our quest for truth is never finished.

Above all, we pray for joy in the journey. May we continually be filled with awe-struck reverence of our role as creators, uncovering merely a glimpse of the mind of the Creator.

Allison Dick

Dr. Allison Dick grew up in Wooster, Ohio. She obtained her PhD in chemistry from University of Michigan in 2007, then completed post-doctoral research at the University at Buffalo. After working in chemical information for nine years at CAS in Columbus, she returned to her undergraduate alma mater, Wheaton College, to teach organic chemistry. She is currently in her third year as a full-time faculty member.

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