Taking Responsibility for Prayers

There are many people today who believe in prayer. As a Christian, I am one of them. I have prayed about different issues in my life and asked God for help. I feel that there are many things that I would not have achieved had I not had help from God. It is not wrong to pray and it is not wrong to ask for prayer.

However, there is something with which I have become irritated over the past several years. That is prayer without the work. I know it might not make sense of what I mean right now, but let me explain.

I have learned that if you want something, you need to work for it. You cannot just hope it will fall into your hands and that your life will be perfect. However, some people use prayer with just that mentality. They want this thing that is in front of them and they pray for it, but they don't work for it.

For example, let's say that Mr. Jones wants to get a promotion at work. He is among several that qualify for the position. So, Mr. Jones starts praying for the promotion. However, each day at work, he is still is doing his tasks at a mediocre level and not doing anything that will make a lasting impression on his boss. In turn, he does not get chosen for this new job.

Was Mr. Jones wrong to pray about getting this? No. I believe God answers prayers (though it is sometimes not the answer we want). However, I also feel that we still have some responsibility. We still have the responsibility to go out and do our part and work towards the goal. The reason being, praying to God doesn't mean a magic wand is waved and that everything is going to happen in the way we want regardless of our actions.

I also think of those who are sick and ask for prayer. I know, you are probably thinking of how they can't help it if they are sick. That is true; we don't ask to get sicknesses that are difficult to handle. However, there are measures a person can take. Along with asking for prayer, a person can also see doctors and do research to find out what things will help improve their condition.

I know that there are times that God answers prayers without us doing much work. I have seen, firsthand, a young woman's health condition improve after a prayer was said on her behalf. She didn't do anything that would have changed her state during that time period, but yes, she did improve. It does happen. But, I think we need to keep in mind that we cannot pray and expect God to do all the work, all the time. So, let's get get up off the couch next time we pray and join God in seeing something happen. We might not get the answer we want even if we work, but at at least we will know that our laziness didn't prohibit the outcome.