Have you ever received this advice?
God's ways are not our ways; that's for sure. Our ways too often bend toward ego, greed, and tribalism. God's ways bend toward compassion, generosity, and a universal community. Despite what too many devotionals told me, "God's ways are not our ways" does not mean that the way we want to solve a problem is always wrong, so just sit back and wait for God to fix it. I've known people, and sadly myself, to pray for years about a problem but to never do the actual work that might solve that problem. We need to have hard conversations. We need to seek and learn from experts. We need to make difficult changes to how we live. An inclination to only pray is especially harmful right now as people pray for an end to racism in our country but don't do the heavy lifting beyond a prayer. If you want to start learning how you can spot and change systemic racism, here are some books and podcasts I've found helpful. Feel free to leave your own recommendations in the comments, as well. LISTENING
Prayer can also turn harmful when it's the only way we support someone in the throes of pain, conflict, or struggle. My friends who do not identify with any faith, as well as a few who do, have taught me best how to help people beyond another common phrase in Evangelese: "I'll pray for you." These friends share space with me, check in on me, listen to me, encourage me, and actually help me. When I hear "I'll pray for you," I appreciate the sentiment, but what I really want to do is hand that person a participation trophy. This is not to say that you should stop saying "I'll pray for you." If you tell me you're praying for me and you also support me in other ways, that's a lot to be grateful for. Not only are you there for me, but you are also welcoming my name into your conversations with God. This is also not to say that we shouldn't pray. Not at all. Prayer is powerful because of what it does inside of us, not just what it might do outside of us. So, let's pray, but let's also act. James 2:14-17 NIV 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
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