Pray and Work

After writing my last post, something about it didn't set right with me.  Later in the day, it dawned on me that it could possibly give the impression that I expect provisions just to drop mysteriously from the sky with every call upon our lives.  Since that is not the case, let me clarify.  

I went for a lovely hour long walk with my friend Melodie yesterday (as I often do on Fridays while our friend Mira drills our children in P.E. class) and we discussed among other things the question of how our Father provides for everything He calls us to do.  Does He always relate to us as little children, or does He mature us and relate to us as adult children?  

She rattled a phrase off in Latin, and showing my ignorance I had to ask her to translate what she had just said.  "Pray and work"; it was the first phrase she ever learned in Latin.  Here are a few more thoughts after our discussion. Some pray, then sit on their hands just waiting for their request.  Some people work, and neglect prayer.  But we SHOULD pray (trusting God to provide) AND work (with the understanding that God uses means). And we should do both with the aim of glorifying the One who gives both the provision and the means, with thankfulness, faith and diligence (in contrast to fretfulness, doubt and halfheartedness).  That we pray with confidence, and how we work matters.

I watched a movie over a year ago with my kids that for the life of me right now I can't remember the title of.  But in this movie there were a couple of kids with a dad who faithfully provided for them, but because they wanted to buy something and didn't want to ask their dad about it they started seeking out any kind of odd job they could get folks in town to hire them for with a sense of urgency and desperation.  The folks in town started asking the kids' dad if he'd fallen on hard times.  After enough solicitations, he was bewildered and went to investigate.  See, the kids had gone about their efforts in such a way that it reflected poorly upon their dad.  We do NOT want to do that relative to our Father.  We do not want to project the image of Him being miserly or unable to provide because that is SO NOT TRUE.  We are children of the King of all kings, not beggars.  And our Father, The King, is gracious and kind and good and full of mercy and love towards His children. So as we pray and work, let us do so seeking His honor by trusting Him, and walking faithfully before Him in all He calls us to do. 

1 John 5:14-15 "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."

Oh, and thank you to Erica and Rachel for leaving stories of God's provision on the last post -- love you gals!  And I love getting comments and clarifications and further thoughts left in the comment section so go for it readers ;-)