Shut Up and Dribble

 Let Go and Let God – but I did, and nothing happened.

Go to any corner of the world, choose any religion, and you will consistently find people praying. Even among some atheists, prayer is ubiquitous; it crosses every border, context, and season. Prayer connects one to their spirituality and to other believers.

 To let go and let God does not mean stopping what you need to do. It means you must continue plowing the fields, pulling the weeds, and planting the seeds. It means that once you have done all you can, you rely upon God to send rain and sunshine in due season. It means you must still tend the field and watch out for pests. It means that you stop worrying, stop stressing, and trust that God will do what God does -to bless your efforts. But you keep working, believing, and making each day your best day.

And so you prayed and prayed, and still, nothing happened. Even though you spoke in tongues, lighted dozens of candles, fasted, and meditated, nothing happened. You even changed churches, went from Pentecostal to Catholic, from Southern Baptist to Episcopal, even tried Buddhist, Moslem, and back to Sanctified -and still you got no relief. So perhaps it's neither your prayers nor your God. Maybe it's not what you're doing but what you're not doing. It may be time you got off your knees and made something happen. Prayer without action may be useless.

Recently, the Governor of Texas affirmed his sadness at the recent mall shootings and offered his sincere prayers. It's not that prayers are useless, but they lull many believers into a false sense of security and accomplishment. How often have good-intentioned people offered prayers to the victims of tragedy but then turned aside as those victims asked for something tangible? Hands that help are much more effective than words dropped to appease.   Consider the words of Jesus:

 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ³⁴ Then the king will say to those on his right, "My Father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. ³⁵  When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, ³⁶ and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me."

³⁷ Then the ones who pleased the Lord will ask, "When did we give you something to eat or drink? ³⁸ When did we welcome you as a stranger or give you clothes to wear ³⁹ or visit you while you were sick or in jail?"

⁴⁰ The king will answer, "Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me."

⁴¹ Then the king will say to those on his left, "Get away from me! You are under God's curse. Go into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels! ⁴² I was hungry, but you did not give me anything to eat, and I was thirsty, but you did not give me anything to drink. ⁴³ I was a stranger, but you did not welcome me, and I was naked, but you did not give me any clothes to wear. I was sick and in jail, but you did not take care of me."

⁴⁴ Then the people will ask, "Lord, when did we fail to help you when you were hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in jail?"

⁴⁵ The king will say to them, "Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me."

I am sure that the ones on the left, in their defense, did say but we prayed for the stranger, we asked God to provide them clothes, and surely you cannot forget when we prayed for those who were sick and in jail. And the response from God was, 'prayers without action are futile."

But prayer is not a singular event. Prayer must be coupled with deeds. Let us consider some more scriptures. 

In Matthew 7:7, Jesus says, 

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will open. Note that these are all action terms, but you will still be lost if you stop there. Yes, ask for what you want, but work to make it happen. Yes, seek what you desire, but you must keep searching until you find it. And yes, knock on the door, but if that door does not open, you may need to knock harder or at another door. Step out of the spiritual and walk in the practical. What is it you want, and what can you accomplish? I am reminded that "you should know your limitations." And while you might want to become an astronaut, your fear of heights, inability to comprehend calculus, or unwillingness to follow orders might be limitations. You should work your way up. Too many people pray to be heads of companies, doctors, generals, or chief development officers. But these people are unwilling to work their way up; they want and pray to start at the top. If you're going to soar to the highest levels, you need to learn from the bottom. Then you will understand that to be a good leader, you must be a good follower. And sometimes, you must remember that the highest achievers had to learn by failing. Failing is not the problem, but accepting failure and normalizing failure is. Therefore, your prayers to achieve may only be answered as you learn how to get up, lift up, and survive the loss.

 

Another reason why our prayers may not be answered is that they are about us and not about others. Again, consider Jesus above -in all cases, the rewards were given to those who put the needs of others ahead of their desires. If it's all about you, you can expect a long wait. Let go and let God begins by letting go of your needs and prioritizing the needs of others. God does not bless us so we can be fat, lazy, and live opulent lifestyles. No God blesses us so that we can be blessings to others. Let us consider His word.

 

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2: 14-17)

So while you pray in faith that God will hear and respond without "works" on your part in the service of others.   Again consider what many consider the mission statement for the ministry of Jesus:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, and to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-21)

 

I hear you asking, What good news could there be for the poor?   Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). This suggests that one of the primary purposes of Christians is to ensure that all -particularly the poor have access to the abundance we so continually celebrate if we have so much, why is there so much poverty all around us. If we have so much stuff that we have to store it in multiple storehouses/storage bens, so much food that we throw it away, so much money that we run out of ways to invest -perhaps we should turn our blessings into aid and comfort for the poor, shelter and security for those without. Maybe we could help the widows and orphans find relief, and then perhaps we will hear from God.

If our prayers, actions, and deeds are not producing a harvest -we may need to plant different seeds. If this fails, we may need to seek other fields. And if this fails, we should reconsider who we are serving -self or Jesus. If self -our harvest will always be insufficient; if Jesus - then keep planting, sowing, and harvesting, for he surely will bless your harvest and increase. Then you will discover when you "let go and Let God" and "give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." (Luke 6:38)