For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.“
A friend sent me this yesterday and I wanted to share:
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master. Matthew 25:21, ESV
Jesus defines success as being faithful in a few things. What…really? In a culture that rewards and elevates hyperactivity and superhuman productivity, our Savior Jesus is unimpressed, as He clarifies that His reward is focused faithfulness. Jesus flips this script entirely. “Faithful in a few things”—these words cut through our cultural noise like a quiet revolution. While we’re scrambling to prove our worth through busyness, He’s watching for something different: depth over breadth, quality over quantity. The master doesn’t promote the servant who managed five different ventures poorly, but the one who stewarded what he had with excellence. Jesus isn’t impressed by our exhaustion or our packed calendars. He’s looking for people who can tend well to small projects before being trusted with complex deals. Success, in His economy, is measured not by how much we accumulate or accomplish, but by how faithfully we cultivate what’s already in our hands. Faithfulness with a few things invites in God’s many gifts of grace.
In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus tells the story of a wealthy merchant who, in preparation for his business trip, gathers his most trusted servants—those who have worked in his household and know his ways. To each, he distributes a portion of his wealth—not as a gift, but as a test. One receives five talents, another two, and the third just one. “Trade with these until I come back.” These are the master’s instructions. Then he departs, leaving them with nothing but their judgment, their character, and this weighty responsibility. Months pass. Two of the servants dive into the work—buying, selling, negotiating, and taking calculated risks. They understand that faithfulness doesn’t mean having a perfect plan but working a plan; it means multiplying what they’ve been given. The third servant, paralyzed by fear, does nothing. It’s not just about the money, of course. It’s about recognizing that everything we have—our abilities, our opportunities, our very lives—comes to us as a trust. And faithfulness isn’t measured by the size of what we’re given, but by what we do with it. Faithfulness in a few things increases influence.
Consider the mother who chooses to be fully present during bedtime stories rather than scrolling her phone—her children grow up feeling deeply valued. The teacher who learns every student’s name and remembers their struggles—she watches quiet kids blossom into confident speakers. The friend who shows up consistently, not with fanfare but with reliability—he becomes the person others call in crisis. There’s the small business owner who perfects her craft rather than chasing every trend—customers become loyal advocates who spread her reputation. The married couple who do the hard work of relational repair. These people aren’t changing the world in headlines, but they’re significantly changing their corner of it. Their faithfulness in small things creates ripple effects: trust deepens, influence expands naturally, and opportunities arrive unbidden. They discover that mastering the few things leads to a kind of success that can’t be manufactured—only cultivated. What are the few things your Heavenly Father has for you?
Prayer Lord, help me be faithful with the small tasks You entrust to me. Teach me to serve with joy and diligence, trusting You to multiply my obedience for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Application Where is the Lord calling you to be faithful in a few things? What things do you need to stop doing to free up time for the few?
I receive your righteousness and release my sinfulness. I receive your wholeness and release my brokenness. I receive your fullness and release my emptiness. I receive your peace and release my anxiety. I receive your joy and release my despair. I receive your healing and release my sickness. I receive your love and release my selfishness.
Come, Holy Spirit, transform my heart, mind, soul, and strength so that my consecration becomes your demonstration; that our lives become your sanctuary. For the glory of God our Father, amen.
This past year I’ve been working on some legal issues for a family member and I’ve prayed about it all. I’ve prayed before every conversation, for wisdom in strategy, for courage, direction and that the right people would be available to help in all necessary areas of this situation…today it was affirmed again that God has been answering my prayers.
Every single step seems to be guided by God. Every connection made by God. Every decision seems to be influenced by our God.
There’s no other explanation. I couldn’t have done this myself. God put the right people into place. God has helped orchestrate so much that it’s not possible I could have done this myself.
Today I’m thankful for God listening and being with me so I can better help this family member.
Thank you God for your guidance, direction, protection and love.
The word coincidence is used only once in the New Testament, and it was by Jesus Himself in the parable of the Good Samaritan. In Luke 10:31, Jesus said, “And by a coincidence a certain priest was going down in that way, and having seen him, he passed over on the opposite side.” The word coincidence is translated from the Greek word synkyrian, which is a combination of two words: sun and kurios. Sun means “together with,” and kurious means “supreme in authority.” So a biblical definition of coincidence would be “what occurs together by God’s providential arrangement of circumstances.”
What appears to us as random chance is in fact overseen by a sovereign God who knows the number of hairs on every head (Luke 12:7). Jesus said that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without our Father’s notice (Matthew 10:29). In Isaiah 46:9–11, God states unequivocally that He is in charge of everything: “I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.”
When we consider life events, we tend to classify them as “important” or “unimportant.” Many people have no problem believing that God is in charge of the “big things” but assume that such a big God would not trouble Himself with the seemingly miniscule events of our everyday lives. However, that understanding is colored by our human limitations and not supported by Scripture. For God, there are no unimportant events. He does not need to conserve His strength because His power is limitless. His attention is never divided. If the Lord God tracks every sparrow (Matthew 10:29), then nothing is too small for His attention. He is often referred to as the Almighty (Genesis 17:1; Exodus 6:3; Job 13:3), a name denoting unrestricted power and absolute dominion.
Citing coincidence is how we humans explain unexpected events and surprise meetings. But just because we are taken by surprise does not mean that God is. Scripture is clear that God allows sinful humans to make mistakes and reap the consequences of those mistakes, but only a sovereign God could also promise that He will make “all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). In ways known only to God, He takes even our mistakes and unplanned events and weaves them together to fulfill His purposes.
In Old Testament times, God often used the Urim and Thummin, pieces of the high priest’s ephod, to help give guidance and instruction (Exodus 28:30; Leviticus 8:8; 1 Samuel 30:7–8). In the New Testament, we see the apostles trusting God’s sovereignty when they cast lots to choose a new disciple to replace Judas (Acts 1:26).
Though each of these means of communication seems insignificant, God has shown throughout Scripture that He can use the smallest object or event for His purposes. God does not seem to allow for “coincidence.” The administration of the universe is not based on serendipity. The Bible says that God’s purposes will prevail and that He is in control of even the most random event (Proverbs 19:21). Proverbs 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” What may seem insignificant to us may be in fact a result of God’s omniscient power working on our behalf to accomplish His will in our lives.
“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Whether the result of an increasing ideological chasm, or the priggishness of discourse in the internet age, we have reached a new societal low. In the wake of the most recent mass shooting, we see increased criticism of a simple expression of support: “thoughts and prayers.” Critics say that prayer isn’t work, that actions are required, and that such clichés are used by those who don’t desire real change.
It would be tempting to ask those who criticize prayer as “not enough” to list the tangible activities they have done in order to enact change. If “thoughts and prayers” doesn’t count as work, neither should “raising awareness” through retweeting the Huffington Post. But perhaps a modicum of grace, rare in social media, should be extended to all. We can’t see into the prayers or charitable lives of our internet interlocutors, and we should lead with the assumption that most Americans want to support victims of mass violence and support efforts to decrease violence in our society.
As Christians, we may not believe that prayer is everything, but we do believe it is of the utmost importance. We should note four things concerning prayer and action.
1. Prayer Is Action
I imagine America’s increasing secularism and the animosity toward simple declarations of prayer are related. For those who have abandoned belief in an involved God, humanity is left to our own devices. We must achieve by manipulating the material world, the narrative goes; otherwise it’s not “real work.” Of course, abandoning belief in the transcendent and spiritual means there’s only the immanent and material.
But as Christians, we believe prayer actually accomplishes something. We believe that God hears our prayers, and that things change as a result. As James says, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). Whether the change is internal or external, small or big, God shows up when we pray.
2. Prayer May Spur Further Action
When we pray, our heart is softened to the needs of those around us. We become sensitive to the suffering of others, and often God plants within us ideas to act on our love for others. For Christians, prayer is the spring from which our love and mercy for others flows. Prayer is where we awaken to the needs of those around us—and to the specific calling God has given us to care for those needs.
3. Our Prayers and Actions Are Limited
This is perhaps the most difficult reality we must face. We are finite beings, limited to our corporeal bodies by time and space. We can’t be everywhere at the same time, so we must choose where we will serve, whom we will love, and what we will advocate. I can’t do relief work in Houston and Puerto Rico at the same time. If my money were divided equally to every area of need in the country, it would amount to less than a penny per need.
I can’t make a substantial difference to every issue plaguing our country. Advocating to redress the multiple causes of gun violence—whether it be mental illness, domestic abuse, racism, or the preponderance of lethal firearms—demands sustained time and attention. So do my responsibilities as a spouse, as a friend, as a son, and as a pastor.
Perhaps one of the most pernicious aspects of social media is how it overwhelms us with the problems of the world and insists that we can and should make a difference in solving all of them. Of course we can’t, and our carnivorous social media consumption only leaves us with the indigestion of despair.
“Our carnivorous social media consumption only leaves us with the indigestion of despair.”
But, in prayer, we discover what we can do: the handful of things given to us by God. And with these few things, we can participate with God in making a real difference. Perhaps our labors will be grandiose. Perhaps we’ll drop what we’re doing, move to Washington, and start lobbying. Or perhaps, in a much smaller yet equally important way, we counsel that couple with the dysfunctional marriage in our congregation, winning a small victory over the power of evil in our midst. Either way, we can pray both for those who are far off and those who are near, knowing that even if our labors are directed more to the near, our prayers for those far off will not go unheeded.
4. We Must Actually Pray If we post “thoughts and prayers” on Facebook, we should immediately turn off our phone, get on our knees, and pray in earnest. Otherwise our critics are validated in denouncing the triteness of prayer, and God is displeased with our false witness.
Whether you are someone who has made your declarations known, criticized the declarations of others, or had your thoughts known only by God, the invitation is the same: Kneel before the God of the universe, humbly seek his help and intervention, and ask him how he might use you as a vessel of justice and peace in the world.
– By Michael Niebauer on a website called the Gospel Coalition Website
Why Do I Pray .com 