PRAYER
AND ACTION

It is in vain to expect our prayers to be heard, if we do not strive as well as pray.

Aesop

Prayer is not a substitute for work, thinking, watching, suffering, or giving; prayer is a support for all other efforts.

George Butyric

When you pray for potatoes, grab a hoe.

David Jamieson’s Mom

Prayer and action, therefore, can never be seen as contradictory or mutually exclusive. Prayer without action grows in powerless pietism, and action without prayer degenerates into questionable manipulation. If prayer leads us into a deeper unity with the compassionate Christ, it will always give rise to concrete acts of service.

Henri J.M. Nouwen

Whatsoever we beg of God, let us also work for it.

Jeremy Taylor