Pray and work!
An old Dutch proverb says: “Pray and work”. The funny thing is that it looks like a Bible verse, but it is not directly. But there is something in it…
This week, we were talking with a missionary on the topic of “seeking help”. Sometimes there seems to be a lot of hesitation to ask for help when you’re feeling down and things aren’t going well.
For some missionaries and pastors, asking for help feels like even admitting defeat. This is quite universal for all people, but somewhat unique to missionaries and pastors is that when they admit they need help, they sometimes feel like they are almost claiming that Jesus is not enough, or that God is/was not strong enough to help them enough.
They sometimes feel (wrongly!) that seeking help is almost like discrediting the Lord, because if they are walking with the Lord as they should, they shouldn’t need outside help, right??!! Or they feel like they’re making Jesus look bad if they seek outside help, or even admit that they need a break! God should be enough, right?! For God will sufficiently strengthen His servants for the service He has called them to serve! However……
Uhh… yes and no. There is some truth in that thought, but it is not complete. You can feel it that way, but God’s complete(!) truth is different. Let’s see if we can make that thought a little more complete with the Bible in hand:
In addition to prayer, practically seeking help (from Emmy, for example) is one of the ways in which you seek GOD’s help. So, it’s prayer… plus contacting “the auxiliaries troops” God has given you those to be used when needed. Pray and work.
You can take it even further (with the Bible in hand):
It is not even Biblical to reject outside help because that outside help is one of the ways in which God has provided a way out for us:
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
To think that we are disappointing God by seeking help is actually “not done”. If you’re not careful, it can even tip over into a false kind of pride, where you think God uses ONLY me, myself and I to speak/heal/strengthen, etc. And that’s not correct. God also has His earthly auxiliaries ready for you.
Don’t fall into this trap. Pray and work… and if you need it, contact us. We would like to work with you and God on solutions to take you one step further to healing.
