Sunday allowed for 2 rides; the first was a long one and for that I’m very thankful. The weather was perfect, other than some wind gusts here and there, and the scenery was amazing. The delicate white flowers of the dogwoods are appearing more and more and the flowing vines of purple wisteria are becoming as fragrant as they are beautiful. The azaleas have emerged in many different colors and bring what otherwise could be dull yards to life with their simple yet elegant appearance.
I passed by what I believe were probably peach orchards that were coming to life and I saw some fields with the longest irrigation sprayers in them I’ve ever seen. After talking to my father-in law he said they are probably fields used for growing sod. I’ve never seen that done before and will have to ride by again once they’re growing as I’m sure they will be vast fields of gorgeous green. As I rode along enjoying the beautiful scenery, despite the pollen, a thought kept popping in my head and it’s a phrase I know I’ve heard over and over and have said myself on occasion, “That’s all we can do.”
Many times that phrase seems to be used in reference to praying. It seemed to me the more I thought about it, the more I realized how odd that really is. It’s almost as if we’re saying prayer was the last resort and may or may not be enough. Why do we say or think that way? Do we really think we’re more capable than God or have more to offer a situation than He does?
I know I’ve shared before how much better things turn out for me when I turn things over to Him rather than trying to fix or handle them completely by myself. The power is not in our prayer specifically, it’s in the one we are praying to. He knows our prayers before we even say them. Is prayer “all we can do?” Sometimes it may be that praying IS all He wants us to do. We may need to pray and then leave it with Him. He wants us to have total faith that when we pray He will answer and handle whatever it is. So in those cases we are simply to pray AND believe. Is prayer all he wants us to do in every situation though? Absolutely not.
Other times we need to pray; then we need to listen, to obey, and to wait and watch for the results. Sometimes those prayers lead to Him then instructing us what He also wants us to do. If we pray as a last resort and don’t truly believe what we’re praying, are we listening to see what He may want us to do or not do, say or not say?
The older I become the stronger my beliefs and convictions are and unless I feel that God is leading me to say or do something, I will not be coerced by others into something I strongly believe is against His will for me. Just because someone feels something is right for them, doesn’t mean it’s right for me and vice versa. I may still mess up on my own no doubt, being human, but it will not be from being coerced or “shamed” into doing something.
As I thought more about this, I also was thinking about how I ended up where I did on my rides. When I left for the first ride I had an idea where I might go, but within minutes my route changed and honestly it continued to change multiple times. I absolutely believe when that happens that it’s from God. Maybe He wants me to see something in particular, maybe He’s protecting me from something, or maybe it’s because a different route will produce different thoughts. I honestly don’t know the answer to that, but whatever the reason I do know the rides are never a disappointment.
On both rides I also thought about patchwork. I purposely avoided some roads that I often travel due to patchwork repairs being done on them. The roads have had some cracks or small holes in them and instead of redoing the area, they decided to do patches. These patches range in size and I’ve learned that at least on a motorcycle, the patchwork is worse than the road flaws were. It made me wonder why they don’t just fix it right to begin with because from past experience these patches will also soon fail and repairs will again be needed. Don’t we sometimes do the same thing in our own lives though? We know we should fix/change certain things, yet we sometimes may do just enough to get by hoping it works or do a temporary fix, then later have to do it again. It may be a physical repair or it may be an emotional or relationship repair. How many times have you heard, “If it’s worth doing, do it right”? This holds true with house, yard, and farm repairs but it’s also true with our thoughts, our relationships, our jobs, and most certainly our relationship with God. Do we need to do just enough to “get by” or do we need to do more? We need to do what He calls us to do the way He expects us to do it.
Colossians 3:23
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”
The same is true with prayer. We need to pray heartily, from the heart, believing that He will answer our prayers. If we don’t truly believe in our hearts that He will answer our prayers will we even know the answer when we receive it? Sometimes the answer may be no or not yet. Just because it’s not the answer we may be looking for, doesn’t mean it’s not answered. We need to pray unto the Lord that His will be done, not ours, they aren’t always the same. He promises to answer our prayers, but that doesn’t mean we will receive every wish we have if it’s not His will. A prayer and a wish are 2 different things. A wish is simply something we want or desire. A prayer is open communication with God and involves a sender (us) and a receiver (God). A prayer is part of a relationship with Him. If we don’t truly have a relationship with Him, why should He even listen to our prayers? He’s not a genie, He is our creator, our savior, and our sustainer and He wants a relationship with us.
In reality the most important “all we can do” statement is to accept Him as our Savior then put our faith, trust, and life in His hands.
Ramblings of a Christian Grandma Biker 