There’s an important theological principle we must grasp: God, although all-powerful, does not do everything on His own. While He has the absolute ability to handle all things, He has designed His relationship with humanity in such a way that He does much, but also leaves room for us to participate. This principle is based on God’s wisdom and the nature of His relationship with us.
1. God’s Partnership with Humanity
From the very beginning, God chose to involve humans in His divine purposes. For example, in the Garden of Eden, after creating everything, God could have left Adam to live in eternal comfort and abundance, enjoying the garden without any effort. Yet, God gave Adam the responsibility to “work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). This wasn’t because God was incapable of doing it Himself—He could have maintained the garden without Adam—but God’s design was to allow humanity to share in His work. It was a way of involving Adam in the stewardship of creation, teaching him the value of responsibility.
God, in His perfect sovereignty, chose to delegate, showing that His plan for creation involves cooperation with His image-bearers. This delegation is not about God needing us, but about His desire to involve us in His redemptive work.
2. God Sustains Us, but We Must Cooperate
God sustains our very existence—our heartbeat, our breath, our health—all are in His hands:
“You hide your face, they are terrified; you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.” (Psalm 104:29-30)
Yet, we are not passive in this divine arrangement. God designed the human body with incredible processes that operate autonomously, but He still requires us to participate in our own care. For instance, we don’t control the beating of our hearts, but we are responsible for caring for our health:
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
As much as God sustains us, He expects us to take responsibility for our physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being. While God provides the means for our nourishment (Matthew 6:11), He doesn’t magically feed us without any effort on our part. In the same way, our spiritual health requires active participation, such as prayer, Bible study, and service.
3. God’s Expectation of Prayer
One of the clearest areas where God calls us to participate is in prayer. Jesus emphasized the need for active prayer and watchfulness:
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)
Prayer is not a passive act; it is a deliberate, ongoing engagement with God. In fact, prayer is an essential part of our partnership with God. While God knows our needs before we ask:
“Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:8)
He still invites us to pray because prayer aligns us with His will and brings us into communion with Him.
In Luke 18:1, Jesus told His disciples a parable to teach them that they should always pray and not give up:
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1)
Even though God is sovereign and knows what we need, He chooses to work through our prayers. If we neglect to pray, we miss out on the intimacy with God that He desires for us, and we may hinder the work He wants to do through us.
4. God’s Work and Our Participation in It
We are not mere spectators in the work of God. As members of the body of Christ, we are called to actively participate in His work:
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12)
This is a central part of God’s redemptive plan for the world: He uses His people as instruments to carry out His will on earth.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)
God has prepared specific tasks for each believer, and part of our responsibility is to be diligent in fulfilling those tasks. However, we must not fall into the trap of thinking that we can be passive in our spiritual lives and expect God to do everything for us. As we read in James 2:26:
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26)
This means that a faith that does not engage in action—whether through prayer, service, or obedience—fails to reflect the full nature of a living relationship with God.
5. The Importance of Faith and Works
Many people mistakenly believe that since God is in control, we don’t need to do anything. While it’s true that salvation is by grace alone through faith:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
This doesn’t mean that we should remain passive in our spiritual walk. Our faith must be expressed through works. Jesus Himself, though sinless and fully God, still lived a life of prayer and action. He didn’t rely on His divine nature to avoid the responsibilities of life; rather, He exemplified the balance of trusting God while actively participating in God’s will on earth:
“Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5:19)
Similarly, we are called to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling”:
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12)
This isn’t about earning our salvation, but about actively living out the reality of our salvation. God calls us to participate in His work through prayer, service, and obedience.
6. The Danger of Neglecting Our Part
When we neglect the small part God has assigned to us, we open ourselves to spiritual decline. Proverbs 26:15 reminds us:
“The lazy man buries his hand in the dish; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.” (Proverbs 26:15)
Spiritual laziness leads to stagnation and even death. If we sit back and wait for God to do everything, neglecting the small tasks He has entrusted to us, we miss out on the richness of partnership with Him.
In the work of the Kingdom, we must be faithful stewards of what God has given us. Whether it’s serving in the church, evangelizing, or using our gifts for the good of others, our participation is crucial. God doesn’t want us to be passive recipients of His blessings; He wants us to actively participate in the mission of His Kingdom.
Conclusion: Walking with God in Balance
To maintain a balanced Christian life, we must recognize our responsibility to actively engage with God’s work. This means participating in prayer, serving others, and being faithful stewards of what God has given us. If we neglect these duties, we risk drifting away from God’s will.
God has designed the Christian life as a partnership—He does the heavy lifting, but He invites us to join Him in His work. Just as He sustains our lives, we must actively participate in His Kingdom, both in our personal lives and in the broader mission of the Church.
Let us be empowered by the Holy Spirit to pray earnestly and to do the work God has called us to do. As we do this, we align ourselves with His perfect will and walk in the balance He desires for us.
Shalom.