Prayer and action!

Prayer is not a passive pursuit - rather it is an activity that should engage us more meaningfully and powerfully with the realities of life in relation to the God of life!  I pray frequently throughout the day in order to maintain a right perspective on God, the world around me, and of course myself.  God's presence informs my actions, give me courage and strength, helps me to cope with difficult situations and people, and ultimately directs my destiny.

I liked this quote, it seems to sum up my understanding of the relationship between prayer and action nicely:

Prayer always thrusts one out into action sooner or later. One of its main functions is to induce one to think creatively; it stretches the imagination; it enables one to see things and people not as they are but as they might be. - Muriel Lester, social reformer and pacifist (1883-1968)

And here's a verse from Christian scripture to add another perspective:

The only thing that counts is faith working through love. - Galatians 5:6

Comments

[Herman Groenewald]

Sometimes it is better just to listen.
Jesus’ teaching on prayer at the beginning of Luke 11 follows the record at the close of chapter 10 of his visit to the house of Martha and Mary. There Jesus corrected Martha’s perspective on her priorities and commended Mary for choosing “what is better” by spending time listening to Jesus (Luke 10:38-42).

[Steve Hayes]

As Anglican Archbishop Joost de Blank said back in 1959: prayer should be a spur to action, not a substitute for it.