Have you ever responded to someone or a situation with the comment, “All I can do is pray…”? I’ve said it many times before. And to be honest, I think it’s one of the dumbest things I say.
Another blogger, Stephen Altrogge, inspired this whole thought for me. He said, “When I say, ‘All I can do is pray’, what I’m really saying is…
- All I can do is ask the omnipotent, almighty God, who holds the universe in His hands to work on my behalf.
- All I can do is ask for grace from the God who gave up His son for me and adopted me into His family.
- All I can do is stop trying to run the world and ask God to do something.
- I can run most of my life on my own, but when it comes to this situation, all I can do is pray.
- I’ve run out of things that I can do, and now I guess I’ll resort to asking God for his help.
- For a while I had this situation under control, but now I’ve got to ask God to lend a hand.”
What a ridiculous statement, right? All of a sudden, with this innocent saying, I am revealing my lack of trust in God, my doubt that He is who He said He is, and that I believe my way is superior to God’s way.
See my normal response is to do, do, do.
This person is in trouble? …How do I fix it?
Someone needs something? …How can I provide?
Maybe it’s time I start trusting in God. Maybe God shouldn’t be my last resort. And maybe I should trust that God actually is in control.
What about you? Have you ever said this phrase? Do you think this reveals anything about you and your faith?
