James 2:16 KJV
[16] “and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?”
We know that prayer is a valuable tool in our Christian life. Prayer opens the windows of Heaven and moves the heart of God. However, there comes a time when we need to quit praying and begin taking action. God spoke about this to Moses in Exodus 14:15 and Joshua in the same manner in Joshua 7:10-11.
God expects us to pray, but then He expects us to act. If we live as if we have no responsibilities other than prayer, our prayers become vain and worthless. Prayer should always be the first thing we do, not our last, and our concern should not end when we say Amen. The prayer of faith will move us to respond. To tell a brother to go in peace and be warmed and filled is a worthless prayer. Neither the man praying nor the man in need has any confidence in this kind of prayer. It is a prayer to ease the conscience of the one who can give but refuses to.
Other examples would be to pray for world missions but never give to world missions; pray for a country that needs the Gospel but refuse to answer the call to preach the Gospel, or pray for people in the community to be saved but never knock on their door or pass out a tract. These are admirable prayers, but they become worthless when we are unwilling to do what we know God expects us to do.
We should pay close attention to our prayers. We should ask ourselves, “Am I doing everything God expects me to do concerning this prayer?” If so, you can rest in the assurance that He will do His part. He will be faithful just as He has promised. What about you and me?