Some things God will do for you. Those are things you cannot do for yourself, and He does them spectacularly. His goodness and greatness overwhelm us, and we cannot help but be grateful. (Isaiah 63:7)
Some things God will NOT do for you. For example, He won’t dictate the answers to a test you are taking if you haven’t studied the material. He won’t take the fork out of your hand if you need to cut back on your eating, or chain you to the bed to force you to pray. He longs for your allegiance, your obedience, your love, and your worship, but only if they are freely given.
So how does that work? What’s God’s Job? What’s My Job? Here’s what that might look like in a few specific situations.
If you’re physically sick or unhealthy:
Your job:
- Learn all you can about your illness or dysfunction
- Make any lifestyle changes you need to make
- Get appropriate professional help (physician, nutritionist, psychologist, etc)
- Diligently follow any treatment plans available to help you get well
- Pray for healing, and ask others to pray for you
God’s job:
- Direct you to the most appropriate help
- Provide you wisdom and strength to make any necessary lifestyle changes
- Provide you courage to persevere when the going gets tough
- Provide comfort and love all the time
- Provide healing – in His way
If you’re out of work and looking for a job:
Your job:
- Be wise and diligent in conserving your resources
- Be wise and diligent in looking for or creating a job
- Network with anyone and everyone
- Work hard at developing any skills necessary to be financially productive, including a right attitude
- Pray – for God to bring you resources, ideas, and connections, as well as income
God’s job:
- Provide insight and ideas regarding income
- Bring people or resources into your life that can help
- Provide courage and wisdom if you need to create rather than find a job
- Remind you that you are not defined by your income, but by your standing as His child
If you’re struggling in a bad marriage:
Your job:
- Honestly look at your own attitudes and behavior
- Work diligently on such skills as communication, forgiveness, patience, and love
- Allow God to change anything in you that is contributing to the dysfunction
- Take full advantage of any resources or help to improve your marriage
- Pray – for yourself, for your spouse, and for your marriage
God’s job:
- Soften and transform your own heart and life to be a good partner
- Work in your spouse’s life to do the same
- Forgive you and your spouse for past wrongs
- Provide wisdom, courage, strength, and resources to help your marriage grow
Do you get an idea of how that works?
Sometimes we face situations where there is nothing we can do that will change anything. The good news is, God still has those situations in His hands as well. For most of us, there’s more we can do to cooperate with Him than we first believe. That’s where praying for “wisdom to know the difference” is so important.
No, God won’t take the fork out of your hand, vaporize your credit cards, or chain you to the bedpost to pray.
But in every situation He WILL:
- Take control of any area of your life you allow Him to
- Be there for you, whether you are aware of it or not
- Provide a ready supply of courage, wisdom, resources, wisdom, and love
And the areas where you cannot help yourself is where God shines best. He will:
- Save you eternally
- Forgive your past and provide you a future
- Transform your character to be just like Him
- Bring meaning and purpose to your life
- Heal you in body, mind, and soul
What an opportunity we have to partner with the God of the universe! I want to hold up my end of the partnership. How about you?
Your Turn: Have you tried to get God to do something that is your responsibility? Have you tried to do something yourself that only God can do? Leave a comment below.
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