The Bible tells us that we should bring everything to God in prayer. Paul said: ‘Pray without ceasing’ (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer invites God to do what we can’t do. But sometimes we can pray about things and then think that we’ve done all we need to do. Nehemiah said, ‘We prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.’ Nehemiah did two things. He took the matter to God in prayer, and then he did something practical too. Praying about something doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t do anything to change our situations. When praying we need to be asking God to give us wisdom for our circumstances, and listening to what He says we should do. Until we’ve asked for God’s guidance, we can only act on our own thoughts and the advice of others. God’s wisdom is so much greater than human wisdom. He says, ^‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know’ (Jeremiah 33:3 NIV). When God reveals His will to us, we shouldn’t delay in acting on it. We might not be given all the steps we’ll need to take, but before God gives us the next step, He wants us to obey the first. That can be challenging because we like to know the whole plan before we get started, but we have to trust that God’s got it all under control. Sometimes when we pray about something, God can tell us to wait. That can be challenging when we’re eager for things to change and want to get on with things. But waiting can be active too. We can persistently bring things to God, keep seeking His wisdom, and ask Him what He wants to teach us in the time we’re waiting.

What Now?

Is there a situation that you need to bring to God? Spend some time praying about it, and ask Him to show you the first step you should take.