Today, we explore the essential relationship between hard work and prayer, emphasizing that both elements are necessary for a fruitful Christian life. Drawing from Exodus 17, we see how Moses' prayers and Joshua's actions were equally vital in achieving victory. This episode highlights the importance of intertwining our spiritual practices with practical efforts, reminding us that while prayer is powerful, it must be complemented by tangible actions. We share personal anecdotes that illustrate this balance, encouraging listeners to actively engage in their faith through both prayer and concrete contributions. Join us as we delve into how this combination can lead to impactful results in our daily lives and the advancement of God's kingdom.
Takeaways:
The integration of prayer and hard work is essential for spiritual growth and effectiveness.
Both prayer and tangible actions are required to truly advance the Kingdom of God.
In our lives, separating the spiritual from the practical can hinder our relationship with Jesus.
Prayer can guide our actions, but we must also engage in practical efforts to help others.
Welcome to the Hobo Soul Podcast of Road Advice from the Bible and from me, Yvon Prehn, someone who's a little further down the road of life.
I'll talk to you every Tuesday and Thursday for about 10 minutes and if you'd like more in depth information on walking with Jesus, you can find at my www.bible805.com website. For now, let's get started on our topic for today, which is
Episode number 72-- Work hard, Pray hard. Both are needed.
Our verse for today comes from Exodus 17 where it says so Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. So long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning. But whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
In his devotions, Charles Spurgeon comments on the passage when he says, so mighty was the prayer of Moses that all depended on it. The petitions of Moses discomfited the enemy more than the fighting of Joshua, yet both were needed.
From this passage in the Bible and Spurgeon's commentary, we're reminded that our Christian lives there always are two sides to a growing relationship with Jesus and advancing the kingdom of God, the spiritual and the practical. It benefits us to learn to intertwine them in our lives. We tend to separate the spiritual and the practical to our detriment.
If we don't combine them, our lives won't be the exciting minute by minute walk they can be with the Lord. Now I'm going to talk about this a little bit more. In some ways that I hope will make it practical and help it make sense to you.
Whatever tangible work you're doing today is not beyond the realm of prayer. Perhaps you're working at a job or in school where AI is something you trying to figure out.
The God who created quantum physics and the stars in a million galaxies has it all figured out. AI is not beyond the realms of prayer.
You can ask for wisdom to understand, tutorials to slow down, to execute, commute computer commands in their proper order to keep working on a new program until you really understand it. You can pray about what software to use, about where to get training for the resources to afford it.
You can pray that you'll have the wisdom to learn all you need to do to complete your present tasks without overwhelming yourself. Prayer truly is essential for godly success in all areas of life.
And we're reminded in Zechariah that not by might or by power, but my spirit says the Lord of Hosts, we truly can't accomplish anything of true value without the Lord's help. Now everything that I said so far, it's good, it's true. But at the same time, we can't stop with praying and trusting God to work in and through us.
That's essential.
But as this passage says and the history it is based on confirms it, that not only was Moses praying, but to get the task done, both were needed because while Moses was up on the mountain praying, Joshua had to fight a bloody, dusty, horror filled battle. There will be days that our lives, our relationships and our work doesn't feel spiritual at all.
But to do it in a way that pleases the Lord to just work at it might be often mundane discipline, just simply hard work. We must apply every earthly skill of organization, persistence, perseverance we have just to get through the day.
This combination of prayer and hard work applies to every area of life. In personal relationships we can pray for those we love, and we do, but there are times when we also need to work.
Years ago when I lived up in the mountains of Colorado where it got really cold, I was living in a cabin that was heated by a wood burning stove. My pastor at the time came over and chopped wood for me.
I don't remember a word from any of the sermons he preached, but I'll never forget the kindness and the incredibly hard work he did to chop a significant amount of wood for me.
Currently I'm in the midst of a major move and though I know many people are praying for me in it, a friend I dearly love simply texted me this morning and said, how can I help today? I knew she meant it and I knew I needed to give her a concrete response.
Shortly after I finish recording this episode, she'll be over here to help me pack. I know she loves me and prays for me, but that text was an incredible encouragement this morning and she's going to be a very practical help later.
Look for tangible areas of life that a friend or family member might need help in. Not just kind words and promises of prayer, though they are very important but tangible. Do something, help with something, help.
The importance of combining prayer and action also affects our work for and in our churches. Jesus reminds us of the importance of actions to back up words when he says why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say.
I think calling Him Lord Lord would also apply when we call to him in prayer, but then we don't do what we need to do to be part of the answer to our prayers and a lot of times, really practical stuff.
This applies to many of the situations where we might be excited about something the church is doing or ministry they're committed to, but all we do is pray about it. Now that is essential. But then what are you doing about it?
You might be doing the Moses part, but again, without Joshua fighting the battle, all the prayers in the world wouldn't have mattered. Let me give you a specific example.
At my church, we support a transitional living center primarily for women who are wanting to totally change their lives. Of course, many people pray for the ministry, and again, that's essential.
But as Spurgeon says, tangible work is also needed if others don't donate money to pay the rent, do the shopping for welcome baskets of household and personal care items, or do the mentoring needed. All these are tangible actions with real cost to those doing them.
If it weren't for these actions, all the prayers in the world would accomplish little. Jesus didn't just stay up in heaven and think kind thoughts about his wandering creation. He took on a body.
He got tired and dirty and worked hard to save us, all the while continuously praying for us. Prayer and work, work and prayer both are needed for the joyful, powerful advancing of the Kingdom of God.
So today, pray and work and see God accomplish fantastic things in your life.
That's all for this podcast, for transcripts, links to related material, and much more to help you learn to know, trust, apply and teach the Bible, go to www.bible805.com for now, let me end with this benediction and prayer.
May you walk each day surrounded by the gracious love of the Father, guided by the gentle wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and conscious of the astoundingly real presence of Jesus, who will walk with you until you're no more a hobo soul and no more a transient, wandering heart, but at home in the kingdom prepared for you with your God forever. Amen.
