There’s a phrase that has echoed through generations: “I must pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on me.” It captures a profound truth—faith and action are not opposites, but partners. Prayer aligns our hearts with God’s will, but work is the vessel through which His blessings flow.

The critical part of this truth is simple: we must DO something. Faith without works is incomplete. God multiplies effort, but He cannot multiply idleness. The more we step forward, the more He can use us. The more we desire or are entrusted with, the more responsibility we carry to act.

Consider the widow in 1 Kings 17. She had only a handful of flour and a little oil, yet she gave all she had to bake bread for the prophet Elijah. Her offering was small in quantity but enormous in effort and faith. The result? She was blessed with an abundance of oil and flour that sustained her household through famine. Her work, though humble, became the channel for God’s miracle.

Or think of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. The servants were not praised for simply holding onto what they were given. They were expected to use their talents, to multiply them, to work diligently. The one who buried his talent was rebuked, while those who invested and earned more were rewarded. Notice that those entrusted with more talents carried greater responsibility. God’s expectation scales with His blessings.

The lesson is clear: work is not optional—it is essential. Prayer opens the door, but work walks through it. Effort is the seed, and God provides the harvest. When we act, even in small ways, we invite God to magnify our labor into something far greater than we could imagine.

So let us embrace the call: I must work. Not out of striving for self-glory, but out of obedience, stewardship, and faith. For in our labor, God’s power is revealed.

Scripture to reflect on:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” — Colossians 3:23