During prayer time, you plead with God to open the door to the position of your dreams.
Nothing happens. Why?
I believe we misunderstand something about God. Yes, he is all-powerful and can choose to intervene on our behalf at any moment.
Sometimes, though, he chooses not to. Not because he isn’t concerned about us or wants us to “figure it out on our own”. Because he has given us the power to make strides in the Earth according to his purpose for our life.
Our faith will get us to the door, but God expects us to put in work to walk through it.
It is mentioned several times in James 2 that you cannot have faith without works. In other words: you believe, but what will you do to stir up action to meet your faith?
Please understand that I am not saying that we can work our way into Heaven. What I am saying is that sometimes we need to move. Sometimes God is saying to us that if we would only step out in faith, he would meet us there with an answer.
Partnering faith with action in the workplace can look like:
Being Willing to Serve Others (and serving them as unto God)
Something about serving others gets us noticed. It could be due to the self-centeredness of our American culture that makes those who show genuine interest in the wellbeing of others stand out. Serving with pure, selfless intentions is sure to make others take a second look. Watch and wait with expectancy; see what happens.
Doing Something to Stand Out
In addition to serving, consider getting involved in a project or initiative that your department has always wanted to start. If possible, commit to coming in early or staying late when you’re requested to do so. Assist a colleague with their duties after you’ve completed your own.
Perfecting the Craft Through Additional Studies
The beautiful thing about life is that as we continue to learn, we realize there is always more to learn. The technology boom of the 21st century contributes to this as well, molding and shifting the traditional performance of tasks. We can leverage work with faith through education by obtaining additional certifications or taking courses specified to our occupation.
Developing the Right Relationships
“It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. This saying is true. I once heard Ben Carson, the renowned neurosurgeon, speak at an intimate event in college. He’s a man of faith and he stated that because he knows our Father in heaven, he attributed that relationship to many of the successes he had during his medical career. The same applies to us: because we have a relationship with God, he will place us before the people that can help us propel our careers and life.
God is truly good and faithful. He simply asks that we meet him halfway and show him that we believe him.
Featured photo by Oladimeji Ajegbile on Pexels; In-text photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels
