“To
this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of
His calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of
faith by His power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be
glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God
and the Lord Jesus Christ. -2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (ESV).
For
persons with ambition to work well and to accomplish as much as
possible, overextending oftentimes has to be dealt with, and planning
and prioritizing must occur. Paul prayed for the Christians at
Thessalonica that “God may make you worthy of His calling” and to
“fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by His
power.”
The
Rev. Phillips Brooks, noted American minister and writer, stated, “Do
not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men! Do not pray for
tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.”
In
my work, I often had to be what we term a multi-tasked person. I
learned how to meet the demands of a busy high school media center.
The job required dealing with immediate and unexpected challenges as
well as the planned, long-range management of a resource center,
teaching and leading, organization and keeping a schedule. And
permeating the whole process was assisting students to find answers
as they pursued knowledge and learned to be independent researchers
to find their own answers to learning challenges.
When
faced with multiple tasks, the Christine should not pray for easier
or fewer tasks but pray instead for the knowledge and strength to do
what needs to be done. Paul also prayed that the work might be done
to the glory of the Lord Jesus. If attitude and priorities are
right, and the Christian has accepted the challenge—not of a
smaller work but for a larger strength and ability with which to
accomplishan it—then work can proceed willingly and with
determination.
I
leaned this motto in Vacation Bible School when I was a pre-teenager:
“I will do the best I can with what I have, where I am, for Jesus’
sake today.” The sound advice of this motto, and my strong faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ, have served me well at times of
overextension when I need to pause, take stock, release the
less-necessary, and work hard to finish priorities. I know assuredly
that if I pray for guidance and strength and seek to glorify the Lord
(not myself) in my work, then “my heart found (and can find)
pleasure in all my toil” (Ecclesiastes 2:10).
Prayer:
Today, Lord, I have much work to do. Show me priorities and
possibilities. Strengthen and equip me for the tasks. May I not
feel guilty when brief pauses and a little “time out” are
necessary for rest. May You be glorified as I work “as unto the
Lord.” Amen. - Ethelene
Dyer Jones 07.17.2016
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