Oswald Chambers: Prayer - A Holy OccupationSample

Prayer is often a temptation to bank on a miracle of God instead of on a moral issue; that is, it is much easier to ask God to do my work than it is to do it myself. Until we are disciplined properly, we will always be inclined to bank on God’s miracles and refuse to do the moral thing ourselves. It is our job, and it will never be done unless we do it.

“Oh, well, I will pray and ask God to clean this thing up for me.” God won’t. We must do our own work. God will do more than we can do, but only in relationship to our spiritual growth.

Reflection Questions: What am I trying to get God to do that I should do myself? Restore a relationship? Resolve a problem at work? Choose my career? What will I take responsibility for today?

Quotations taken from The Shadow of an Agony and The Place of Help, © Discovery House Publishers