Pray hard, then take your medicine!
I remember hearing a story about how Pastor Chuck Smith was asked to pray for someone's headache after church service one Sunday...after praying for God to heal the person, he turned to them and said, "Now, go home and take some aspirin."
Some would call that "post prayer counsel" a lack of faith, while others would call praying for a headache a lack of common sense. But, both are wrong. Pastor Chuck believed that God could heal supernaturally, without any human intervention...but, he also recognized that God may want to heal that person through the already provided for means of modern medicine. We need to pray always, but there are times when we need to pray and then take our medicine! We ought not be so "spiritual" that we neglect the practical.
This is what we see happening here with Nehemiah and the rebuilding of the wall. The enemies of the Jews (Sanballat and Tobiah) began mocking the building process in front of the them as they worked. No doubt this frustrated the jews and so Nehemiah prays! He asks God to defend them and to repay their threats back onto their own heads. This was not a time to argue, or fight...this was a time to pray, and this was enough.
Later on, the enemies of God became furious that the rebuilding of the wall was continuing, and so they made threats to come and fight against the jews. Once again, Nehemiah's response was to pray and ask for God to defend them, once again...but we notice that v.9 also says that "we guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves." So, Nehemiah prays and asks for God to defend them, but then he calls all of his men to put on their coat of mail, arms themselves with sword, spear and shield, and get tired protecting the people day and night. So, pray hard and then work hard!
Does this seem contradictory to you? Does it seem like a lack of faith? Does it seem like a work of the flesh?
No doubt that there are two extremes within the Body of Christ (and within our own lives of faith). One side that feels like anything practical (medicine, planning, strategizing...) is of the flesh and a sign of a lack of faith. On the other hand, there are those in the Body who feel that prayer can be a "spiritual crutch" or even a sign of laziness.
But, both are unbalanced and unbiblical, aren't they? Both can be true (at times), but not exclusive from the other. It seem that throughout scripture, as we find here in Nehemiah, God works and moves as His people pray in every situation...but, when we also work hard and take responsibility at the same time! "Either/or" is easier...but the "both/and" is Godlier!
One person said, "Pray hard like it all depends upon God, and work hard like it all depends upon you!" I think that sums up what we find here in Nehemiah 4.
So, where do you and i tend to err? Praying hard without the practical, or working hard without the prayer? I hope that we can see that both are necessary for the "work of the Lord to be complete". So, pray hard brothers and sisters...but, then work hard and become part of the answer to your prayers!
Created over 1 year ago
