“And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey him.”
— Joshua 24:24

A gentleman in our church always sat at the back of the sanctuary writing text messages during the sermon. One day, he told us his wife had committed her life to Jesus! He had been texting the sermon notes to her, as she lived in their home country!

Once, we were praying about organizing a Chinese New Year outreach event. We knew people would feel homesick during the festive season. We didn’t know how many people would come. We rented 2,200 seats from a sports stadium. If 1,000 showed up, we would be satisfied. Financially, we did not have enough to cover the rent and other expenses, but after much prayer, we went ahead in faith and signed the rental contract. On the actual day, 2,200 people came and filled every seat. Another 1,000 people stood outside, because the inside was totally full. God also provided all the funds to cover the financial need. On that day, 163 people came to the Lord. People still remember this joyous event.

What are the common aspects of these two stories? Prayer and action.

The gentleman in our church did not just pray for his wife’s salvation; he also took action to share the Gospel with her.

We did not wait until we had sufficient funds to sign the contract; we believed God would provide. Signing the contract was an action of faith that involved some risks.

In Joshua 6, we read that the walls of Jericho did not fall by prayer alone; it also involved obedient action.  The seven priests had to go before the ark with seven horns; the warriors followed and marched around the city for six days. On the seventh day, when they sounded the trumpet, the wall tumbled, and the people shouted, obeying the instructions that God had given them.

Pray, in order to understand God’s will, claim His power, obey His instruction, and give God all the glory.

REFLECTION
1. Do any Bible passages come to your mind when you think of God delivering His people from trouble, danger, persecution, or lack of resource? In addition to praying, what actions did God’s people take before God led them through with victories?
2. Are you facing a task that seems greater than you can handle right now? In addition to praying, do you sense an action God is prompting you to take?

Ruth Teo is an Alliance international worker. She and her husband, Rev. Dr. Jonathan, have been serving in the Silk Road Region since 1998.

Photo Credit: what_marty_sees via Compfight cc