You’ve probably seen the memes that get passed around basically pointing and making fun of the “thoughts and prayers” posts that spring up whenever a tragedy happens.
And I get it.
We live in a culture dominated by “armchair warriors” who have rarely lifted a finger to accomplish anything worthwhile. And the “thoughts and prayers” memes are to show how important it is to take action.
And action is necessary.
On a personal level and a global scale:
Nothing changes without purposeful action
But I think there’s more that we need to remember.
Why Thoughts And Prayers Don’t Work
“Thoughts” in general aren’t very valuable. It’s important to plan, but sending “thoughts” after tragedy strikes really doesn’t help anyone.
But what about prayer?
Well, if you’re a Christian, than prayer is invaluable.
So, what’s wrong with the “prayers” in “thoughts and prayers”?
The bottom line:
We do a lot of thinking,
And not a lot of praying.
Too often, I see people sharing stories and situations online that are heartbreaking, and they have strong words for those involved and tell how “we need to do something”… but that’s it.
Think about all the posts you may have seen regarding:
• Shootings
• Abortion
• Homelessness
• Child Neglect
• Trafficking
• Racism
Most of the posts I see regarding these tragedies, and more, have a call to action: to get angry, maybe to even vote or donate money, and possibly to even pray.
But how much are we actually praying?
I see more talk about the importance of voting than the importance of prayer as of late, and that’s saddening.
Of course, if you don’t believe in God, then prayer shouldn’t matter to you, but if you do, and especially if you are a Christian, then prayer should be your first response to today’s problems, not sharing 10 articles to your Facebook page in order to “spread awareness”.
We see throughout the Bible and history that the most significant advances of God’s Kingdom and His goodness were done by people who took massive action from the depths of massive prayer.
Please don’t take what I’m saying as a call to stop doing things.
I just want to put out a clear reminder that all the action in the world will be of no use if it’s not completely backed by prayer and seeking God to do what only He can do.
Action is necessary, but action without prayer will be met with powerlessness.
Seek God First For The Change Only He Can Bring
To help realign our priorities and our hearts, here’s one of my favorite quotes on prayer, I hope it helps remind you that the war we face is not against flesh and blood.
Jesus is the only hope we have for the transformation of people’s hearts, which is the root of all the problems we see today.
So, please take action.
Please give.
Please vote.
But most importantly,
Please pray.
Actually pray.
Don’t talk about praying.
Don’t say that you’ll pray.
Stop, right then.
Right when you want to tell someone you’ll be praying for them.
Go before the throne of God,
Go to your Father in heaven,
As His loved, forgiven, and adopted child,
Go simply,
And fervently,
Pray.
“When we depend upon organizations, we get what organizations can do; when we depend upon education, we get what education can do; when we depend upon man, we get what man can do; but when we depend upon prayer, we get what God can do.” – A.C. Dixon