The Relationship Between Prayer and Work
Dear Destiny Friends,
Pray as if everything depends on God; work as if everything depends on you.” – Saint Augustine
As we are gradually approach the end of the year, it is pertinent to examine how we have fared thereby ascertain where we got it right and wrong, and take steps to make an improvement. A good way to know if you have fared well is by checking the results of all your actions and activities. This, in other words, means to consciously take stock of our products, services and life in general. Taking stock applies to all aspects of lives cutting across business, academic, family, government, personal and professional development. Regardless of any sector or industry you find yourself in, what people want to know is what you achieved while working there; that’s one way to access your value.
This informs the reason most people go all out to prove themselves during their probation periods. However, before you can produce results, you must understand what is needed wherever you are. You must also understand the power dynamics and how office politics is played. This will enable you to work smart.
There is a relationship between praying and working. Prayer has its role and so does work. It is important to note that you cannot succeed without praying for success, and you cannot also succeed without working. Both work hand in glove. According to Dr. Yomi Garnett, an accomplished ghost writer, “While prayer releases God’s favour, work unleashes the force of man. When God’s favour collides with your force, the extraordinary in you manifest”.
Therefore, you must work for everything you pray for, and pray for everything you work for. This means that for you to see the fruit which you have been promised, you must till they soil.
When you pray and work, you attract opportunities. Opportunities don’t literally come to you; you have to attract it. The mistake some people make is praying or asking people to do for them what they can do for themselves. It is important to note that nobody will assist you if you are not willing to assist yourself.
Did you know that work is a form of prayer? Yes, because when you work you are praying for a cause to take effect. According to Late M.K.O Abiola, “prayer is a work in action”.
For you to succeed in any establishment, you need an element of spiritual and physical blessings. Spiritual blessings can be prayers from your creator, parents, mentors, or even superiors, who have accomplished and distinguished themselves in the field. You cannot overrule this part. You might argue some wealthy men succeeded without the spiritual factor, well, what you fail to understand is that spiritual blessings come in various kinds. It can be positive or negative. For the purpose of this article, I will focus on the positive aspect.
Sometimes what we must understand is that when you see people who have truly succeeded in life, you don’t know the kind of seeds they have sowed in life. Maybe they have sponsored many people in schools, paid bills for men and women in hospitals, built infrastructural facilities etc. All these philanthropic acts may have generated a lot of goodwill prayers without the person knowing. That’s why sometimes, we don’t know the prayers that will be answered. Again, that is why it is always good to be good.
In conclusion, you have to be intentional with the kind of prayer you pray, and the kind of work you do.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a Human Capacity & mindset coach. He’s also a public speaker, youth advocate and creative writer. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success and President of gloemi.com. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com