"Wait and Pray"

You wait and pray,

And pray and wait,

And trust the Lord,

Not to be late.

But then again,

What should you do,

While you wait,

For dream-come-true.

Maybe pick a horse to ride,

Just saddle up and go,

Long trot to a goal you set,

And neither fast nor slow,

But steadily you attempt,

To do somebody good,

For the glory of the Lord,

To bring relief, you should.

The big things that we often need,

God leads to in that way,

By doing something rather small,

But get it done today.

Set a post and build a fence,

And stake out ground to use,

Claim it for the Lord above,

It sometimes lights a fuse,

For God’s explosive blessing,

No short-cut here you know,

But faithfully to plant the seed,

And in the ground to sow.

And when the harvest breaks for you,

No room to take it in,

And you will know He gave to you,

What you should do, my friend.

A-waiting and a-praying,

There’s nothing wrong with that,

But pick a chore and get it done,

That’s where the blessing’s at.

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says…” (James 1:22, NLT)

“Just do it” became a very successful advertising slogan for Nike tennis shoes. But just doing it is ancient advice from God’s word, too. Waiting on the Lord and praying for God’s best outcome are necessary components to any life of faith. But while we wait we should never become passive. No, doing God’s word is a non-negotiable for every season. We are called to discern and do God’s will, even while we wait to know any bigger plan or blessing He has in store for us. By staying proactive in our pursuit of God’s will, we position ourselves to maximize every new step of faith He calls us to take. Wait and pray. Yes. But do the word and will of God while you do.

Lord, help us do the very next thing You’ve called us to do, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Clark Kelley Price, clarkkelleyprice.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Clark, and God bless you.