Nehemiah 4:9  “But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves.” (NLT)

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Pray and work. This is a good system for ongoing success. And also not a bad idea for this Labor Day. 

Some people just want to pray. Some people just want to work. And, let’s be honest, some people don’t want to do either. This is a pretty good pathway toward unnecessary poverty. 

Someone attributed the following quote to Ignatius of Loyola. It has also been attributed to Augustine. Neither of them likely said it. Even so, it has been stitched by needlepoint on throw pillows and framed as artwork.

Pray as though everything depended on God;
act as though everything depended on you.

The ideas are kinda sorta helpful. Dependence on God is always rewarded; however, he gets to choose the reward. We do not get to tell him how to reward us. So, let’s say we want big bucks or a nicer house, we cannot put in a good hard day’s work cleaning out closets at the church and expect God to drop a mansion in our laps. 

Acting as if everything depends on us is a common malady. Some people work themselves to death. They can’t stop working. They can’t not work. They don’t have an OFF button. The truth is, God is not impressed by how hard we work. He assigns us chores to complete and tasks to accomplish. However, overwork is not his plan or purpose. Sabbath is a command, not a suggestion. A day off is just as important as the workweek. 

How can we appropriately apply Nehemiah’s idea above? How can we reframe our mindset to say that we should pray as if everything depends on God, and work as if everything depends on us?

Start with prayer. Prayer is not merely a matter of kneeling and crossing ourselves or giving thanks for our food. Prayer is an ongoing conversation with God. It is like breathing out and breathing in. Breath prayers like, “Please give me clean hands and a pure heart” (See Psalm 24:4), and “Make my heart like yours,” are as beneficial as praying Psalm 119 in one sitting. Maybe even more so in the case of Psalm 119.

Start with work. Remember, we are working for God, no matter who signs our paychecks. How we do our work is just as important as the work itself. We are to work with integrity and commitment, guided by his wisdom and skill. 

An old friend loves to say, “It’s my job to show up. It’s their job to see if they can get anything out of me.” This is a funny line. It’s not a practice that honors God. Don’t be that guy.

Pray in joyful dependence. Work in prayerful expectancy. Honest work done well honors God and serves others. Prayers without Amens create the kinds of conversations God wants with each of us. 

Nehemiah gives us a good model. Pray and work. Work and pray. Don’t do either without the other. Do both together for greater success and more meaningful impact. 

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I will work and I will pray on each and every workday.

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Our Father, teach me to pray. Teach me to work with increasing skill. Teach me how to do these together in a manner that honors you and serves others. Amen.