More Than Asking
by Pastor Eric Gordon
Have you ever heard someone pray for favor? Have you ever prayed for favor? Asked God to open doors for you and bless you? What else have you done about it?
We often pray to God like He is some magical genie waiting to meet our every need and grant our wishes. We pray for "favor" so we can get what we want in every situation. But what do we do after we pray?
I love to hear people quote the story of Joseph in Genesis. Everywhere Joseph went he had favor. Do you know why he had favor? Yes, it is because God blessed him - but do you know why else? It's because Joseph worked hard in every situation he was in. He was sold into slavery, and he worked hard there (Genesis 39:1). He was thrown into prison, and he worked hard there too (Genesis 39:20). He was made second in command of all of Egypt, and he worked hard (Genesis 41:40). He did not just ask for blessings, he worked hard, doing what he was able to do while he waited on the Lord.
Asking for favor and blessings while doing nothing with the gifts and abilities God has already given us is like a farmer walking out in a field and shouting for corn to grow without first preparing the soil and planting the seed. Many times we use prayer for "favor" as an excuse to be lazy, when in reality we should be working hard on our situation using what God has already given us, instead of just making excuses and doing nothing while we wait for God to bless us with more.
When we ask God to move the mountains in our lives, He wants us to bring our shovels, not our easy chairs!
Genesis 49:26 (KJV): The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
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