There was once a small town that was flooding due to a dam breaking. A farmer who lived in this town, who had great religious faith, climbed onto his roof and prayed to be saved from the flood. 

Before the waters got too high, a neighbor came by and offered to help the farmer escape. But the farmer, having great faith in God, declined, saying that God was going to save him.

Another man with a boat came by and offered to rescue him. The farmer also declined this help, saying that God was going to save him. 

Next, a helicopter came by offering to save him. Again, the farmer declined. 

The farmer perished that day. When he was at the pearly gates he asked God why he was not saved. 

God replied, “I tried to save you three times!”

This story is told in jest, but it does speak to the point that we must be practical in our spiritual approach.

Dr. George King once said in an address:

“There is no doubt about it that a spiritual approach is absolutely essential in all things, in all our way of life. In fact, our way of life should be governed by a pure spiritual approach. But this spiritual approach is not a lot of theory, it is not just hot air. This spiritual approach, if it is a good one, is tempered by practical, down-to-earth common sense.”

Dr. King, who worked in the Fire Service in London during “The Blitz,” when the Nazis were bombing London every night, went on to say:

“I have thought about this subject from all angles and, during the war, I had plenty of time to think about it—plenty of time. And I came to the conclusion that if you are in the middle of a burning room it is no good dropping your hose on the floor and kneeling down and praying to God for assistance. Far better, grab hold of your hose, use it in the way you have been taught, and pray for assistance and strength at the same time, and I guarantee you will get that assistance and strength. I’ve had it umpteen times—hundreds of times”

***

A few weeks ago, I was feeling overwhelmed. 

I already had a lot on my plate and then three people told me they had something that needed to be done urgently. 

I went home at lunch and said the Prayer for Spiritual Workers. It helped me ease my mind, but it didn’t change the fact that I still had a lot to do. 

No amount of praying was going to finish the tasks for me. I needed to get organized and start chipping away at my work. 

The prayer definitely helped, but I also had to be practical and do something about the situation I was in – prayer plus work.

Something you can try

Sometimes we just need to look at a problem in a different light.

The next time you feel you have a problem and you are unsure how to solve it, try praying for help and guidance. After your prayer, sit for a few moments in silence and be open to receiving guidance. Then, get up and try to resolve the problem on your own – knowing that you have asked God for help, but that the best way to get this help is to try to solve the problem yourself. 

See if you receive any help this way.Have you had difficulty taking a practical approach to problems?