There’s an old saying, “pray as if it depends on God; work as if it depends on you”. A more recent quote I’ve heard echoes this: “God is in control, but He doesn’t expect you to lean on your shovel and pray for a hole.”
The Bible records many instances of God performing miracles, and often they involve people stepping out in faith somehow.
David taking his sling and stone to face Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
Elijah pouring water on the sacrifice before God sends fire from heaven (1 Kings 18)
The widow using her last bit of flour and oil before God provides an endless supply for her (1 Kings 17)
Jesus healing the paralytic whose friends lower him down from the roof (Matthew 9, Luke 2, Mark 5, John 5)
The blind man calling out to Jesus and asking for his sight (Luke 18, Mark 10)
In all these instances, people trusted in God’s power completely and also did something.
They had faith, and they worked in what way they were able.
We’re in the process of searching for a new pastor as our church’s long-time pastor prepares for retirement. The church leadership has been very open to the whole congregation about the process and recently opened the floor for questions and concerns; many people voiced theirs.
How many potential pastors will we get to hear before making a decision?
What are we doing to make sure we find someone doctrinally sound?
What if we hire someone and then realize we don’t really like him after a few weeks?
What if he comes and realizes he doesn’t like us?
My husband, a church elder, is on the search committee for the new pastor, and he and the others are doing everything they can to find the best fit. They are screening applicants and working with our denomination’s district superintendent, meeting together regularly to work and talk out issues and pray for wisdom in this endeavor.
They are working hard to make sure they do everything they can to find our next pastor and at the same time, we know that it will be by God’s grace and sovereignty that He will provide the man He has for the job.
Eight months ago, we were in the middle of trusting and working as we planned this rather uncommon upcoming birth of our fourth baby. Though we were confident this was the direction God had led us, we couldn’t help being concerned as expenses piled up. The doula, the midwife, the Airbnb- it added up to a few thousand dollars we needed to come up with in a matter of months. We budgeted carefully, saved diligently, and avoided unnecessary purchases. But unexpected expenses kept popping up- a couple hundred dollars here and a few hundred there on things like household and car repairs, taxes, insurance renewals, bills we hadn’t been expecting. It felt all to “coincidental” to actually be coincidence. It was more like God was saying, “only by My power and provision will you be able to do this.” Besides all that, we were relying on God for a safe delivery. I had done all the research and physical preparations I could, but ultimately had to put full trust in God for safety and success.
Weeks before the birth, we were still short, financially. I knew the amount we needed to somehow save up in the next couple weeks when one day our pastor’s wife, Kim, randomly handed me an envelope “from the church”. Inside was a card, lovingly signed by many members of our church family, along with checks and cash adding up to just over the exact amount we still needed.
I was stunned.
We were able to pay all the expenses we needed to without borrowing, thanks to careful planning and saving, and thanks to God’s miraculous provision. We were also able to have a safe and successful home-birth after 3 previous c-sections by God’s grace and provision and thoughtful preparedness.
It’s vitally important that we put full trust in God’s sovereignty and power. But this should never come at the cost of laziness or apathy on our part.
We need to do everything in our power accomplish the work God gives us while, at the same time, fully trusting that God is sovereign and more than able to fill all our “gaps” and “do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).
Jennifer Blacklock 
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