A common proverb of yesteryear goes something like "Put your faith in God, and keep your powder dry." Attributed to Oliver Cromwell during his later years in the mid seventeenth century, the intent is clear. Though a deeply religious man, Cromwell still felt that man had to do his part in carrying out the divine will. Strictly relying upon God to do everything was to be seen as neither God-honoring nor sensible.
Is a Christian called to live out his faith in such fashion? Can a church adopt a posture of waiting for God to accomplish all things? Where do we draw the line between relying upon God to provide and do everything and taking personal responsibility to contribute to the cause?
Perhaps a comparison to God's grace will help in reaching some form of conclusion. God expects us to live morally perfect and holy lives. (Matt. 5:48; I Peter 1:14-16) Yet it is also clear that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). How can we be saved then from the just punishment of our rebellious lives? God's grace accepted by faith is sufficient.
Shall we not also live by faith in God's providence to provide our daily bread? We can, but we also must plant the seed, or work for the loaf, or spend the money on gasolene to drive to the market to buy it. Israel may have stepped out of their tents each morning in the wilderness to find manna, but that hasn't happened often since.
Does such a work ethic deny faith in God to provide? No, it reflects an attitude of divine responsibility placed in the individual. From the beginning of man's existence as recorded in scripture, God has expected man to have a relationship with him based on faith and mutual responsibility. This is called a covenant. At no time has God presented a covenant that said man was to sit and wait for God to drop the beef and potatoes on a plate set before a man and then clean up the mess afterwards. Man has always had a divinely ordained role to play that involved working with God and not just waiting for God.
In Genesis 1 God tells the first man and woman not only to be fruitful and multiply, but also to subdue the creation around them. That does not come without some effort. Subdue more than implies that something needs to be brought under control that is currently out of control. Those first folks had work to do. The blessing was they didn't have to do it alone. God was still working there by them.
Jesus told his disciples to feed the 5000+. (John 6) They were clueless. Jesus could have used the rocks laying around, turned them into bread. Instead he said for his disciples to go out and round up the resources. The miracle didn't occur until they had done their part.
Jesus brougth Lazarus out of the grave. (John 11) He told someone else to remove the stone at the entrance. You'd think that someone who could raise the dead could move the rock without help. No, he told the people there to be a part of the action.
Faith recently kept me praying hard for the Lord to get my car over the Tennessee mountains when it had sprung a water line leak on the interstate highway. I made it all the way to Evansville, IN. Would God have brought me safely back to North Carolina without ever adding water to the car? I'm not sure I was ready to test God that far. Was that a lack of faith? Was it playing my part in taking care of myself according to the power God had given me?
God is still in the business of miracles. God works miracles even when we are involved. From the beginning he has chosen to work through a covenant relationship with man. Man must respond through faith, and he must respond through surrender. That surrender can involve gathering fish and bread, rolling away a stone, or picking up a hoe and chopping weeds in the freshly created garden. In all cases God intends to be there to guide, assist, and make up for our weakness through his grace.
When all is said, walk by faith, but don't tell God to feed the hungry man when you have a loaf of bread in your hand.
