The Discipline of Depending on God

The Discipline of Depending on God

For some, depending on God comes easily. Others too often find themselves relying on great programs, best practices, or their own wisdom. And yet the Bible assures us that our source of success is actually found in leaning on God and abiding in Him.

’Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

It’s a whole lot easier to say than to put into practice. We tend to like well-organized projects that produce clear and measurable results. Just the thought of telling donors we are off to follow God leaves most of us nervous—what will that even look like? Yet it’s commanded, and we are told it is the way to produce ‘much fruit’ that will last (John 15:5). God really is the one who brings transformation.

Here are some of the ways that we put depending on God into practice in our work. (On the next page you’ll see how we apply it to our programs.)

1. Make sure prayer remains at the top of your to-do list

As work becomes more demanding, time with God often gets neglected. On the busiest of days, we tend to squeeze “time with God” into the cracks, if we find time at all. Yet Jesus says, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). In reality, there isn’t anything more important than investing in our relationship with God through time spent listening and praying.

For leaders of a busy organization, there is enormous temptation to bow to the overflowing to-do list. And yet, we all know at some level that things seem to happen much more smoothly when saturated in prayer. Grant proposals are accepted. Emails arrive, solving problems we’d laid awake over. Ideas and plans suddenly come together. While it takes discipline to develop (or return to) the habit of daily, focused time in listening and prayer, we can trust that, as we prioritize time with God, He is so faithful to give us everything else we need.

2.  Build a prayer network

The Bible tells us that we do not battle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers (Ephesians 6:12). We don’t like thinking about spiritual warfare, but the battle is real, and we need to pay attention. If you want to see transformation, not just a few changes, you can expect opposition. If you look to confront lies that have held people in bondage for generations, you can expect opposition. And if you go to places in Africa and Asia where witchcraft is commonly practiced, don’t expect it to fall away without a fight.

If we truly believe that God brings transformation and that we are in a spiritual battle, then we must also understand that prayer support is even more important to our efforts than financial contributions. Therefore the amount of time and energy we pour into nurturing a prayer network should be at least as much as what we give to fundraising.

3. Fast

Fasting is uncomfortable. Few people relish it. And so we often choose to ignore or diminish the importance of it. However, the Bible clearly teaches that there is a strong connection between our obedience in fasting and God’s intervention. If we are willing to set aside our physical needs for a time in our desperation for God, He is faithful to bring breakthroughs, insights, and blessings.  

4. Be careful about depending on programs

In one country in Asia, the Church among the majority people has gone backwards over the past twenty years in both numbers and passion for God. One leader candidly explained, “Before, we prayed and fasted for three days each month because we thought that’s how you grew a church. Now we just follow the church-growth models.”

Like these churches, when we hear of a great program, we easily think of it as The Answer. However, Isaiah 55 reminds us that “God’s ways are not our ways.” We need to take time to pause and pray, “Is this really the solution that You have for this need?” Maybe God has a better plan that we couldn’t have ever anticipated.