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It
is said that the “Most Religious Goalie” award should go to Isadore
Irandir who played for the Brazilian soccer team Rio Preto. Irandir
began each game by kneeling in prayer just before the opening kick.
However, in one game he prayed just three seconds too long. The
opposing team shot the ball just past his ear and into the net for an
early lead.
Isandir learned what all Christians ought to learn. There is a time for
prayer and there is a time for action. There is a time to pray that God
will open doors and there is a time to move forward through the doors
that God opens.
Jesus warns us that praying “Lord, Lord,” is not the key to pleasing
God. Instead the important thing is to do the will of our Father in
heaven. (Matthew 7:21)
The
Apostle James wrote, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by
actions, is dead.” (James 2:17)
When
it comes to election time, some Christians practice dead faith. They
pray about the results, but they fail to do the most important thing –
to vote.
We
should certainly pray for elections and for our leaders. St. Paul
wrote, “I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be
made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority…” (1st Timothy
2:2)
But
praying is not enough. The Bible also warns us “to make the most of
every opportunity because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15).
In
other words, while prayer is important, praying without doing what we
are able to do defeats the very idea of prayer. The main purpose for
prayer is not to try to get God to do what we want him to do but rather
to help accomplish what he wants to do.
The
saying “God helps those who help themselves” is not found in the Bible
and is in fact contrary to what the Bible teaches. Instead, the Bible
teaches that “God helps those who cannot help themselves.” As long as
we can handle our situations, there is little reason for God to get
involved.
That
is why I believe that God pays very little attention to people who pray
about elections and fail to vote. Why would he answer their prayers
when they have not done what they can do to answer their own prayers?
It
is said that many years ago in a small town there were two candidates
for mayor. One candidate was a devout, righteous Christian while the
other was a notorious bar owner known for his foul language and unholy
living. The day of the election a group of 15 or 20 Christians met at
church early in the morning to pray for the election. They prayed
fervently through lunch, through the afternoon, and late into the
night. In fact, they prayed so long that they never did get around to
voting.
The
next day when the results were announced, their candidate had lost – by
about ten votes. Their prayers were fervent, but their failure to vote
had lost the election.
God
sees little reason to answer the prayers of those who have dead faith.
Some Christians may be tempted to stay home and pray because they think
their prayers count more than their vote. What they need to know is
that their prayers count more than their vote only if they both pray and
vote.
Paul Jetter, Upper Valley Community Church |
