Success.
Motivational posters abound that define and inspire people toward success as a personal achievement within a vocation or as a personal victory. We enjoy success when what we attempt prospers us; sometimes for good and often for bad. What matters is the intent.
The biblical definition of success, however, can be stated as an accomplishment reached with God’s help, by His will, and for His glory. The Bible gives us some clear looks at what success means for Christians:
When Nehemiah takes charge of the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls, some men rebuked him and said he was acting against the king. Nehemiah’s response was a proclamation of God’s sovereignty over every earthly king, and He would give them success for their sake and for His glory (cf. Nehemiah 1:11).
God is wisdom, and as He gifts us with wisdom, we will have success in our physical endeavors, using the right tools for the job.
(Other passages to consider are Job 5:12; 6:13, Ecclesiastes 4:4; 5:11, Psalm 118:25, Proverbs 3:4, and Daniel 6:28)
With this right definition of success in mind, we can pray for success according to God’s will. The following are a sampling of specific prayers for success in different areas of our lives.
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Goal: To understand, gain insight into, inspiration from, and wisdom for the day.
Scripture: Psalm 119:9-12,
“How can a young man keep his way pure?
By keeping it according to Your word.
With all my heart I have sought You;
Do not let me stray from Your commandments.
Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.
Blessed are You, O Yahweh;
Teach me Your statutes.”
Prayer:
Father God, I thank You for Your Word and for how You speak to me through it. I long to bring You glory through my successful understanding of it and through the wisdom You graciously give me from it. I pray You will bless me with purity of heart and love for You. My success is knowing You and serving You. Yet I know this success won’t be complete until You bring me home to glory in Your presence. Until then, may my every success point to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Founder and Perfecter of my faith.
In His name I pray.
Amen
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Goal: To divide God’s Word rightly
Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”
Prayer:
Lord God, help me to successfully share Your Word with all conviction and absolutely no compromise. My goal is to humbly bow before You, having handled Your Word to the best of the ability and gift You’ve so graciously given me. As Your word to the Ephesians says, fill me anew with Your Spirit every day so I may teach and preach the gospel with clarity. May those who hear my words realize they are You working through me for Your name’s sake and for Your glory alone. Help me to be a success at encouraging people to know it’s by grace alone through Christ alone for His glory alone we are saved. Help me stay successful in purity, wisdom, integrity, prudence, nobility, and most of all in service to You, my King. For it's in the matchless name of Christ I pray. Amen.
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Goal: To honor the Lord within our marriage
Scripture: Ephesians 5:22-25
“Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,”
Prayer:
Father, the world doesn’t understand what it means for a husband to love his wife or for a wife to respect and submit to her husband. I praise You that we have Your Word to teach us what it means, knowing a marriage reflects Christ and His church. Oh, how we praise You for our marriage, and we humbly and expectantly ask You to bless us as we seek to stay united in Christ. I pray You will give us the successful witness of a strong, Christ-centered marriage. We love You, Lord, and we love each other with an ever-growing reliance on You as the Founder and Perfecter of our faith, knitted together as we seek to live holy lives. Our success as a couple is a testimony to Your goodness and love. Thank You for my spouse who loves You above even me. And all this I pray in the name of Jesus, amen.
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Goal: To boldly share the gospel with gentleness and respect.
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:14-16
“But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their fear, and do not be troubled, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and fear, having a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame.”
Prayer:
We are darkness without You, and I pray You will give us success as we share Your good news with our unbelieving loved ones. Bring them out of the darkness as You call them to Yourself, Lord. May You be glorified every time we share the gospel with others. That’s the only success that matters. May our legacy be as those in whom Jesus is reflected. It’s not about us, Lord. It’s all about You. Help us to not fear men and shy away from proclaiming the gospel. May our hope be so apparent it causes others to ask us “why?” Give us the words and the gentleness of our speech and spirit so others will listen with open ears and soft hearts. We praise You. Lord Jesus, it’s in Your name I pray and give thanks. Amen.
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Goal: To successfully use the talents God gives us to bring Him glory in our workplace.
Scripture: Colossians 3:22-24
“Bondservants, in all things obey those who are your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but with integrity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. Serve the Lord Christ.”
Prayer:
My Lord Jesus,
I praise You for the work You’ve given me to do. For the talent to do it and for any success You bring. For I know success is based upon my service first and foremost to You, my Lord and Master. You give me what I need to work heartily for You, for I don’t fear men. Instead, I reverently stand in awe of You and of Your power. Lord, guard and nurture my heart for my protection, growth, and for the sake of Your name. Let me never hide Your grace behind my work. I am privileged to serve You with the gifts and talents You’ve given me. May I never take them for granted.
In Your precious and holy name, I pray.
Amen.
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Goal: For all involved in surgery to be successful
Scripture: 1 Peter 5:6-7
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
Prayer:
Father, I confess I am anxious about this surgery. I don’t know if it will be successful or not, but I trust You because You know the outcome. This surgery will be a success no matter what happens here because I will never be away from Your presence, ever. Yet I do ask for success for the surgeon, nurses, and all the staff who are involved in the operation. I pray for my strong witness to the doctors and staff here, that my success would be to be a fragrance of life to life for them. My success is always tied up in how I reflect my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I pray You will remove my anxiety as I lean more and more into Your grace and mercy. I love You, Lord, and I trust You.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen
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Goal: To encourage other believers in successful fellowship around the centrality of Christ.
Scripture: Acts 2:42
“And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.”
Prayer:
Lord, I am so thankful for the fellowship You’ve given me with Your church. I’ve had the privilege of meeting my forever family both locally and in other parts of the world. I long for the day when we all gather in heaven and exalt You together. I pray, Father, You will give me success in encouraging and edifying my brothers and sisters. You are the Truth and the Way and the Life.
Give us all success as we sit under sound teaching so we grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Grant us success, also, as we break bread together and pray together as Your church. Our whole lives are about Jesus, and Your Word—from Genesis through Revelation attests to the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ. As we gather, Lord Jesus, help us to exalt You, for You alone are worthy of all praise.
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Goal: To rest well
Scripture: Psalm 23:2-3
“He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake”
Prayer:
Father, I’m so tired from all life’s toil and heartache, and I need a rest, a vacation. I pray, Lord, You will pave the way for my family to get away from the daily “stuff” so we can rest. And not only rest, but rest in You! Your Word says You lead us beside quiet waters and You restore our souls. We so need that. We need You!
I pray, Lord God, You will give us a successful time of rest and recovery so we may be refreshed for the next part of the journey You have for us. I thank You for this opportunity to relax. I pray we don’t neglect our time with You and, instead, take extra time to enjoy Your Word and engage in quiet and meaningful discussions of how You are working in each of our lives. Guide us into the promised paths of righteousness, all for Your name’s sake.
In Jesus’ name, I pray,
Amen.
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Goal: To share the Lord’s bounty with beloved believers
Scripture: 1 Peter 4:8-10
“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
Prayer:
Wow, Lord! There’s such joy in serving others, and I’m happy to be able to invite others to this home You’ve given us. You’ve lavished Your bounty upon us, and we seek to share with the church. I pray, Lord, You will grant us favor with those we invite to our home. Favor that they would say yes and would allow us to serve them with good food and godly conversation. We love these people and want to bless them. Help us to extend this hospitality always without seeking anything in return.
I pray for You to grant us success in the preparation of our house - that it be clean and clutter-free so everyone is comfortable and undistracted. I pray the food we serve will be hearty and healthful. Again, Lord, thank You for this provision, that we have plenty to show our love to others as we share.
I thank You and bless Your holy name.
Amen
We can pray for godly success in so many areas of our lives; the above are just a few highlights. My prayer for this is to successfully bring glory to the Lord as you are edified and encouraged. As you pray for success, remember what the Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:19-20, “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in Him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God for His glory.”
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This article is part of our prayer resources meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.
Prayers for Healing
Morning Prayers
Prayers for Family
Prayers for Surgery
Prayers for Strength
Night Prayers Before Bed
Prayers for Protection
The Lord's Prayer: Our Father
Originally published Thursday, 17 April 2025.
