Ask God to bless your efforts
On continuing with the thought, “Work like it all depends on you and pray like it all depends on God,” where are the lines drawn between having a vision and working towards it, and letting God do his thing? Life happens to all of us, but in some things, we must go make life happen.
Getting good grades isn’t a matter of osmosis. You need to study the subject matter. Losing weight while continuing to overeat and not engaging in physical activity to promote weight loss is an exercise (pun) in futility. Household responsibilities don’t take care of themselves. Someone must actively engage in performing those duties.
Things don’t just happen as it concerns goals and accomplishments. You have to help make it happen. Active engagement toward the end you envision. Success doesn’t occur in a vacuum. You can’t just keep dreaming about it. There must be effective steps towards the objective.
What strides are you taking towards your vision, dreams and ambitions? What plans have been made? What finances, consulting and active participation and involvements are being readied? Have you asked the question, “How do I get there?” This typically isn’t about some world class achievement: gold medals, world records, billionaire status, but more in general scenarios.
Scenarios such as increasing education levels, starting a business, becoming healthier, getting a promotion, remodeling the house, saving/investing for long range purposes, taking music lessons, learning new skills or, more importantly than all those, growing closer in relationships, like God, family and friends.
Proverbs 14:23 NIV informs us, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” You can’t just keep dreaming and gabbing about undertaking aspirations, but you must be engaged in real terms. Your activity should be purposeful and literal. Applying labor, sweat, energy, time and determination with consistency. Anything else simply results in falling short of the objective.
One of the main themes of the Book of Nehemiah is that he was granted his heart’s desire by God to rebuild the wall and gates around Jerusalem. But it didn’t just magically repair itself. Nehemiah oversaw the work of the people who worked with all their heart (Neh 4:6). They produced tremendous results through sheer willpower and physical exertion. But Nehemiah also prayed for God’s favor, guidance and protection from start to finish.
James 1:5 and Psalm 37:23 respectively enlighten us that those who seek wisdom and direction from God for doing God’s work will be granted that wisdom and the steps/plans of that kind of good person are over-sighted by God.
Nehemiah didn’t repair Jerusalem’s gates and walls by himself. Noah didn’t build the ark by himself. Solomon didn’t build the temple by himself. Often, you must widen your circle and involve others to complete the task. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help, especially as it concerns subject matter experts.
Proverbs 11:14 KJ, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” We all need direction from time to time, and usually to hear from more than one source for comprehensive guidance will lead to success from reliable resources. It’s like spreading your finances across a variety of investments. It creates a more secure method for the future.
If you ever get unsolicited confirmation from other believers who are unaware of your ideas, don’t disregard that as a coincidence. It may be The Lord trying to get your steps ordered? Run your thoughts past trusted confidants. Get prayer. Get feedback. Get organized. Get resources. And then, get moving.
Just thinking about it repeatedly doesn’t make it happen. You don’t complete a 5K walk without taking the steps one at a time. And all the details of how your going to “get there” don’t need to be in place. You must start sometime. When? What is holding you back? Identify the obstacles and deal with them in a realistic judicious manner. Decide what is next, and act on it.
I end this article with this one prayer of encouragement, considering that we must combine prayer and work, ask the Lord to, “bless my efforts.” This puts something back on you.
Blessings.