Word of Encouragement (8/3/2021)
Today, we continue our reflection on Paul’s commands to Timothy to pray: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Yesterday, we talked about the heavy emphasis Paul places on prayer in this command. In doing so, we addressed the question of primacy between the Word of God and prayer. Today, let’s do the same between prayer and action.
Paul was a man of prayer. We have seen this from the many examples of prayer we find in his epistles. But to him, prayer was not an excuse for procrastination or non-action. You know what mean. It is easy for us to say, “I can’t!” and resort to prayer when the truth is that we just don’t want to do what we know we should do. We pray, “Increase my faith!” when God says, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Luke 17:6).
Paul, a man of prayer, was also a man of action, too. For Paul, being a man of prayer and a man of action were not mutually exclusive; they went hand-in-hand. Because our labors are in vain unless the Lord’s hand is in it, prayer should accompany all that we do. We should pray before, during, and after we do what we are supposed to do. Prayer should be the constant companion of our actions, not a substitute for our actions. Thus, Paul’s command, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).
Of course, there are times when there is nothing we can do but pray. But such moments are rare. Many of you have expressed to me how helpless you feel when it comes to Cathy’s ongoing suffering. I myself have struggled. I have apologized to Cathy, saying how badly I feel that prayer is the only thing I can do for her. But while this is true to how I feel, it is not right on two accounts.
First, we should never apologize to people that prayer is the only thing we can do for them as if prayer is the most useless thing. Prayer is the best thing we can do for people because we are asking the almighty God to help them on their behalf, especially when they cannot pray for themselves for whatever reason. God can do for them so much more than what we can ever do. But, if we feel like prayer is the least useful thing to do, it may be because we know deep inside that there are things we can do for them but don’t want to.
Second, prayer is rarely the only thing we can do. It is true that, when it comes to Cathy’s healing, there is nothing we can do but pray—that the medication will be effective, that the doctors will have the knowledge and wisdom to accurately diagnose her sickness and treat her properly, that the Lord will intervene directly and heal her apart from these secondary means, etc. But there are still many things we can do for Cathy and her family beyond simply praying—from sending them your words of encouragement to providing meals, which I know some of you have been doing. There is nothing we can do to increase our faith and change ourselves effectually unto salvation—it is something only God can do. So, we need to pray. But prayer is not the only thing we can do. We can, and should, apply ourselves diligently to the means of grace, through which God grants and increases our faith and transform us into the image of Jesus Christ.
Just as there is a “circular” relationship between God’s Word and prayer, so there is between prayer and action. As finite creatures in need of God at all times and for all things, prayer takes precedence over our actions. We need to ask God for His blessing and help before we take action. But there is a sense in which our prayers get more urgent and specific as we take action in obedience to God and face many unexpected challenges and obstacles. May the Lord build us up as men and women of prayer and action!