Sometimes Praying Is Not Enough

I was blessed to grow up in a small classical Pentecostal church.  I have so many impressionable memories from this time in my life.  The people and experiences in this little church, no doubt, make me the man I am today.  I am very thankful for my heritage!

One of the things a guest to our church would quickly notice was our language.  We had phrases we understood but probably no one else did.  We would say things like, “you need to grab hold of the horns of the altar and stay there until you pray through.”  Well…our altar didn’t have horns.  It was a long piece of wood with molded edges that had been varnished and lacquered.  It was actually quite beautiful, but it had no horns.  We knew we were being instructed to kneel at the altar and stay there until we got the victory, but I am certain an outsider had no clue.

When we knelt at the altar we were never there alone.  People in the church always gathered around and prayed with whoever was kneeling there.  I still remember the language of the altar.  Someone on my right side would tell me to “let go” while someone on my left side was telling me to “hang on.”  This was not confusing to me because I knew the language. Both of my prayer partners were on the same page.  They were encouraging me to be determined in my prayer and not let anything hinder me.  I can only imagine the confusion, however, for someone new to that experience.

There was another phrase that would come up from time to time I am sure made no sense to anyone who did not speak our language.  In the pastor’s sermon or in someone’s testimony they would say, “sometimes you have to put legs to your prayer.”  I am sure this one caused any newcomer to our church to wonder if we offered a PSL class (Pentecost as a Second Language!)  We knew we were being reminded there are times you have to work along with your prayer but the images this phrase produced in the mind of those who did not understand had to make for some interesting conversations with their non-Pentecostal friends!

My mind pulled up the “putting legs to your prayer” idea recently while reading about the Children of Israel crossing the Red Sea.  Moses has led his people out of Egypt, and they are on their way to the land God promised them many years earlier.  They came to the mighty Red Sea, however, and it looks like their emancipation will end in their destruction.  There is no way to cross this large body of water and Pharoah and his army have had a change of heart about allowing the Israelites to leave – they are now in hot pursuit of their former slaves.

The Children of Israel get scared and in their fear they begin to complain.  They see no solution to their dilemma and feel certain their annihilation is imminent.  In this desperate situation, God gives another strong word to Moses, and he shares it with the people:

“Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.  The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”  (Exodus 14:13-14)

Evidently this word was not enough for Moses and his people because the next verse takes a more stern tone as God says to them, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.” (Exodus 14:15) He seems to be saying, “It is time to stop praying and start moving.”  I think He is saying to them it is time to put legs to their prayers!

I am certain God wants me to be a man of prayer.  I believe my private prayer life will largely determine the effectiveness of my public ministry.  Prayer should always be a primary weapon in my arsenal and my prayer life should be so powerful it causes the devil to tremble in fear.  But with all that being said, there comes a time when praying is not enough.

Most of the promises of the Lord have conditions attached.  He makes a contract with us telling us what He expects from us and what we will receive from Him if we do our part.  This contract – or covenant – is etched in stone and will not be compromised.  We do our part; He does His.

I’ve discovered many times our blessing is not realized because we are continually praying for God to do what He has promised while all the time He is waiting for us to meet His set condition.  Prayer and fasting, the laying on of hands, counseling – you name it – nothing is going to move the hand of God until we live up to the contract.  We must put legs to our prayer.

This principle is beautifully illustrated by the story of Naaman in II Kings 5.  Naaman is a national hero among the Syrian people, but he has been stricken with the dreaded disease of leprosy.  He hears about a prophet named Elisha who he is told heals people with this sickness. Naaman makes his way to the prophet’s house and as he pulls into the drive, Naaman sends one of his servants to the door to request the attention of Elisha.  Elisha hears the problem, but instead of coming out to personally address Naaman, he sends out instruction for Naaman to go wash seven times in the Jordan River.

This is certainly not the reception and treatment Naaman was expecting.  As a matter of fact, he is highly offended at the lack of personal attention he received from Elisha and even more offended he was told he had to wash in the muddy Jordan River.  He is so put off by this he leaves the prophet’s residence in a rage.  He left in anger, with his pride intact…and with his leprosy.

After a little cooling off period, one of Naaman’s servants attempted to reason with him.  He encouraged his master to simply do what the prophet had instructed.  Naaman knows it is the right thing to do, so he submits.  He heads for the Jordan ready to swallow his pride and obey.

In my mind I see Naaman stepping out of his chariot in humiliation and embarrassment.  He would rather be a million places than on the banks of the Jordan River, but this is what the prophet said he had to do to be healed of this disease.  It wouldn’t surprise me if he was thinking, “maybe my willingness to come here will be enough for the God of Elisha to heal me.”  But it wasn’t.

He steps into the water and dips one time.  He may have looked at his skin to see if God would show mercy and heal him because of his humble submission to the prophet’s instruction.  But God didn’t.

He dipped 2…3…4…5…6 times and there is no change whatsoever.  He quickly submerged himself one more time in the river and – you guessed it – he came out of the water completely healed.  The Scripture says, “…his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”  (II Kings 5:14) Naaman had fulfilled his part of the contract; God did not fail to fulfill his part as well.

So many times God speaks to us and gives us an assignment.  This assignment is His plan for our life and there is a beautiful blessing promised as we obey.  This is God’s covenant with us – we follow His direction, and He gives the blessing.  There is no negotiation involved – no deal making – no gamesmanship – just total surrender and obedience.  We obey; God honors His word.

Unfortunately, too often our attention is on the blessing.  We continually pray for God to give us what we desire – what we need.  We call others to pray for us and feel because of our strong petition God will relent and give what we are asking.  But here is God’s word for us today – no amount of praying is going to bring the answer we are seeking.  It is not a matter of praying; it is a matter of obedience.  God has already made a promise; the promise will be kept when the contract is fulfilled.

There are some blessings that will never come to you no matter how much you pray.  Sometimes praying is not enough.  The blessing that seems just out of your grasp may well be waiting on your total submission to the will of God for your life.  This should not be seen as trying to earn your answered prayer; it should be seen as keeping your side of the contract.  God will do His part, no doubt.  You might just need to put legs to your prayer.