Should I Take Action, Or Wait For God To Do It?  

TAKE THE KID TO THE DOCTOR!!! we've all seen it before, and we know how it's going to turn put.......not very good.

vote for the truth.........vote Bear.

I don't know where that saying came from, and I don't think it came from the bible. There is something to the extent of "ask god and ye shall receive" I think maybe that's why some religious cults don't rely on medicine. Also those people that let snakes bite them, those people are cuckoo and I don't care if I sound judgmental, my kids are vaccinated and we don't go near snakes. If that is their mentality then I think it is better off that they just die out because at the rate they practice, it won't be long.

well, i agree with ur view..its like the following..
GOD, wil help us find food or help us by giving idea where we can find food..but he wont come all the way to give us food..
the following story may help u understand this..
there was a man drowning in the sea,praying and asking for help..few fishermen came that way to help him move out but he refused saying that God wil come down and help him..this happened thrice but he refused..then he soon died..he went to heaven and asked god why he dint come to his rescue when he prayed..God replied that it was God only who came in to his help in the form of the fishermen..which he refused..!!
in the end, I wud say that i too had the same doubt about god and things, but this story helped me out...

Well said Mike.

As a rough cut Christian myself, I have had all too many debates with other Christians over a variety of topics within your broad scope shown here.

I finally got it boiled down to just this. When making a decision as to what God's job is and my own?

If I have the training, technology and the tools to do it. It's MY job.
If I do not have the training, technology, the tools or the where-with-all to do it myself, that's HIS job. That may include God dropping someone in my path who can and will help with your need, or it may be to supernatural devine intervention which I have both seen and experienced. The latter is least common.

And it should be noted the God sees the end before you have started.
So, as was the case for my wife and I who were praying so ernestly for a way to open a restaurant here in Vanderhoof, and where we actually lost a few thousand trying to force our way into getting one going. Now had we had the luxury of looking ahead only three short years, we would have seen me, who was going to be the key kitchen guy, disabled by MS. That of course would have dramatically changed our view over things literally out of our control.

Me not being elected in my political ambitions this month. God not happy with me doing it? Who knows. Did God even care who got in? Maybe, but He isn't welcome in our proceedings anyway so why should He care?

Anyway, on a personal level, do what you can do yourself with relative ease. Let God help with the things you cannot. Too simple.

I seriously don't understand people who think like that. As a christian myself, I do believe in the power of God's intervention but there are things that I need to do in order for that intervention to take place. If I'm hungry, I'll go to the shop and buy some food. If I'm sick I will take medication. If I need a job I will apply for one. But I will ask God to lead me into making these decisions, and this is where people miss the mark. God is there to guide us not do everything for us.

So for people who think just sit and wait for God to do everything for them, well news flash, He won't!! He will only respond to those who use their brains basically..

I read about this woman who needed a blood transfusion in order for her to live but she said "I'm a jehova's witness and we don't believe in blood transfusion" they prayed and prayed but in the end she died.. because of stupidity..

God gave us the sense to invent these commodiites so we can know how to help oursleves..

While there are things we should leave up to God, God also holds us responsible for our actions. He can and will help but we are expected to do our part. So that means we should get up and work for our food, earn money to pay bills, get out of the car's way, etc. That's the way I've always understood it.

Wow!! I enjoyed this article and just want to say I cant stand the super saved christian that answers everything starting out with the lord says or God will take care of it.I am Not against god just dislike the fact that some christians fail to acknowlege that god gave us common sense so dont get so saved that you forget to use it. so when your child is sick take them to the doctor after all god created the dr and gave him the knowledge to diagnose and treat and the dr does this reguardless to race religion gender etc....

God has provided us with so much and with the ability to cure diseases, to prolong life, etc. It is up to us as parents, adults etc to make the responsible decision concerning the knowledge that God has give us. Often time medical advances are used in ways that go aganist God's wishes, i.e. abortion etc. He gave us that knowledge, it does not always mean we should use it. Just like with everything else in this life we have choices to make and it is up to us to make the right choice. It is our free will.

We have to use our heads in the right way and not just sit here and wait on God to cure us, there is a story I once heard about a guy whom was lost at sea, he was floating around on a raft, God sent a small boat to rescue him, he said no thanks God will save me, a day or so later a sail boat goes by, again He says no thanks God will save me, one more day and well a cruise ship goes by, again he says no thanks God will save me.

He dies overnight when he reaches Heaven he ask God why did you not save me. God says I tried and you refused my help. I sent boat after boat and all you would say is God will save me. I gave you the tools to save yourself and yet you refused looking for something more divine. So well now you are here with me.

The point is that God provides us with things that we need, jobs to pay our bills, money to buy grocery's, knowledge to cook, knowledge to work knowledge to seek medical attention when we need it. It is up to us to make the right decision.

When I have a problems I always pray that God will show me the way to take care of the problem. I do not expect to sits back and wait for a miracle, although I have benefited from His miracles when I have exhausted all my efforts. I think the following kind of explains what I am trying to say:

Picture a man in a small rowboat on a pond doing some fishing. Suddenly he notices his feet are wet because of water leaking into the boat from a hole on the floor. With nothing to plug the hole with he falls on his knees and asks God to save him. So far, this is an easy situation to envision, but what comes next may be a little more difficult to take.

As he prays harder and harder for God to save him, the boat fills more and more with water to the point it starts to sink. The more it sinks the harder and louder he prays. Finally the boat is totally filled with water and he is left to either drown or swim to shore. He musters all his strength and swims the 100 yards to shore, exhausted and terribly mad at God for not answering his prayer.

The questions are: Does the man have a legitimate right to be angry at God for not answering his prayer? Should the man rejoice in making it to shore safely or be upset because he is all wet and his boat sits at the bottom of the lake God expects us to use the brain He blessed us with. In other words He expects us to think something through and exhaust all avenues before taking a situation to Him. If we can take care of things ourselves, He expects us to do so. If we can't, He stands ready and able to help. Whether that help will be to handle the situation or tell us how to ourselves is His prerogative.

I once heard a variation of the original story presented here where after the man prayed, a giant oar dropped down into the boat. It was God's way of saying "here is how you will be saved". In other words, God provided the means but left it up to the person to do the work. If a person needs $100 and prays for God to meet the need; God can either drop a hundred dollar bill down from heaven or send a telegram saying go to such and such a place and offer to mow the grass.If we will stop treating God as our personal waiter/vending machine/servant and start approaching Him as our loving and all wise Father we will understand how He deals with our needs. If we will quit looking at prayer to God as a kid in a candy store and think of it more as going to your dad and asking for the keys to the family car; then we will begin to understand how He wants us to approach Him.

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There is a saying, 'do your best... God will take care of the rest'. God has gifted us with faculties that aid in thought, deed, and action. unless we use these faculties to the utmost, how can we expect help from God?
i think we should act upon the situation and circumstancces and do what is possible for ourselves instead of just sitting and praying, which may prove to be fatal especially in the case of serious illnesses.