The Believer’s Responsibility: Trust God, Pray, and Work
I was flabbergasted. I couldn’t comprehend my wife’s firm “No.”
In August 2000, we moved to her hometown to put our children in the Christian school she had attended. It had always been her dream to put our kids through school there, so we set about making it happen.
When I saw the tuition costs, I said to Jen, “When both girls are in school, will you go back to teaching? That would save us from having to pay tuition and you would be bringing home an income!”
Her simple answer was “No. I’m not interested.”
So, I repeated myself, slowly: “No. Tuition. Plus, income.”
Still, the answer was no. I couldn’t understand why. Jen’s college degree is in education. She had 4 years of experience. And she is a great teacher! But she wasn’t interested.
Honestly, it took me about a year to drop the pressure. And then we had two boys. So, I asked the question again since we were facing doubled costs.
“When the boys are in school, will you go back to teaching? The tuition savings are double. And you would be bringing home a salary.”
Again, the response was, “No. I’m not interested.”
The conversation continued as before: “No. Tuition. Plus, income.”
Thankfully, the Lord taught me something through our first go-around. And Jen said clearly, “You have to stop trying to control me. Trust me that if God tells me to do it, I will.” So, I didn’t pressure her, and we agreed on a prayer we could both pray with integrity.
We began praying that the Lord would provide Jen with meaningful work in a job she was passionate about that would contribute to the family budget. We prayed, and we prayed. And we claimed the truth in God’s word.
“You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers.” (Deuteronomy 8:18, ESV)
“Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!” (Luke 12:24, ESV)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God… And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6 & 19, ESV)
My struggle came from feeling the weight of responsibility to provide for my wife and four children. After all, Scripture says, “Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church – a love marked by giving, not getting… he feeds and (cares for her)” (Ephesians 5:25-29, MSG). On top of that, 1 Timothy 5:8 says, “if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8, ESV).
My mistake came in thinking that I had to make it happen on my own. And my fleshly tendency was to try and manipulate my wife into doing something she didn’t want to do so that I was more comfortable.
But God says that He is our Provider and that His name is on the line! His provision is part of how He confirms His covenant with His people.
We had to trust that God saw our position and cared about how we were doing. Then we were to ask in faith, trusting that God would do His part in providing. As 1 Corinthians 4:2 says, we are called to be faithful stewards, so we took classes and learned how to manage money better.
Dear Saints, how are you at balancing your responsibility with God’s responsibility? It’s so easy to either throw up our hands and ‘just trust God’ or fall into the trap of thinking that we must make things happen because God is distant and uncaring. Neither of those positions is true.
God is our Provider. He provides strength and wisdom to earn a living, overcome sin, love others, and so much more. He provides all the wisdom we need to steward our lives well. Our responsibility is to seek God and work hard so we can lovingly provide for others’ needs, trusting Him all along the way.
Oh yeah. What happened to us? We prayed for months and months that God would give Jen a job she loved, found meaningful, and helped our family budget. Then one night after Bible study, a friend told Jen about an open teaching position at our kids’ school. Jen remembers how the Lord gently put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a little push, saying, “That’s your job. Go for it.”
Dear Saints, we must trust God fully while we work hard and pray hard. And then, we need to be ready and willing to follow the Lord when He says, “I’m providing. Go for it.”
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.