Hey Brother,
It’s good to pray. It’s really good. We should be praying all the time! But, have you ever seen someone in need, prayed for them, and then wondered why God wasn’t bringing someone to help them right then and there?
Well, maybe YOU are the one that should be helping them!
As Christians, we are taught to rely on God for our needs. After all, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). However, sometimes I think we have the tendency to pray and ask God for things but not act ourselves. Which is funny, because one of the many ways God works out His will is through individuals. In fact, it’s probably the most common way!
We’d all love to hear the voice of the Lord like the prophets in the Old Testament. We’d love to have God provide for our families by literally sending manna from heaven. Don’t get me wrong, if God wants to do things that way, He can (and has as we see in the Bible). However, it’s also important to realize that over the thousands of years recorded in the Bible, it was only a small number of people that God ever communicated with that way.
I have to confess… I’ve been guilty of this. I remember thinking, I want to hear from God. Why won’t God talk directly to me? He should talk to me! And then it hit me, who am I that I think I deserve to hear the audible voice of the God and creator of the entire universe?! That was a very humbling moment.
We’d all like a sign in big bold neon letters telling us exactly what we should do in a given moment. I once had a conversation with a brother who was deeply concerned with his path in life. He wanted to make sure that he was doing God’s will, choosing the right career path, etc. These are all noble and good concerns to have. The thing is, he wasn’t taking action! He was praying and waiting, praying and waiting, but never actually stepping out in faith to see how God would lead him. Now, God can communicate with us and show us His will in many different ways, but one of the many ways He does this is through other people in our lives.
Take marriage for example. You can pray to find a wife. You can read in the Bible about the attributes you should look for in a wife. You can read how you should act as a husband. And you should! You should do all those things! But, if you never leave your home and actually ask out a woman, how are you ever going to find the wife God has planned for you? Sure, she could show up on your doorstep with a marriage license in hand after a divine dream told her where to find you. I mean, that could happen. Who am I to put God in a box? But I have to say, that sounds highly unlikely, and it’s not usually how God works. (Note: If this is how you met your wife, please put the story in the comments because… wow! I need to hear that story!)
Our faith in Christ should be active in our lives. God did not call us to sit and do nothing. He calls us to go and show His love to others! First John 3:18 tells us, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”
Boy, this is a hard calling. I have to admit, I don’t always succeed at it, and at times it can be overwhelming. Not only do we see the need in our own communities, but thanks to the media and the Internet, we can see terrible need and suffering all around the world. How can any one of us solve these problems and provide for all that need? Well, we can’t, but God can. He can use each of us to be small but important parts in His plan. He doesn’t need us, but what an honor to be on His team!
It’s very easy to think someone else will take care of a problem, or someone else will help that person in need, but maybe that someone should be me? Maybe it should be you?
Start and end with prayer, but when God gives you the ability to help, help! When God gives you plenty so you can give, give! You may just be the answer to someone’s prayer.
Family Radio Staff
Kristopher Galuska