QUESTION:
If two Christians are praying for the same job, which one will get the job?
ANSWER:
Probably the one that is the boss’s nephew.
I don’t want to appear flippant because this question has some profound implications. Does God play favorites? Do we earn our answers from God? Will He give it to the one who pleases Him more? Prays more, etc. How much do we impact the future by prayer? What if neither gets the job? Does prayer really matter anyway? What if one gets the job? Does prayer matter for the other? What about smaller matters? A farmer prays for rain for his crops while a family prays for a sunny day for a picnic. Does God even care about trivial things like picnics? If not, at what point does it become important enough for Him to care about it? My test grades? My job? My future spouse? What is trivial and what is important to God?
Clearly God wants us to bring every issue to Him. Nothing is too small to talk to God about.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) – “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.”
Probably all of us, however, have experienced prayer that seemed to go unanswered, like at least one of the people in our illustration will experience. Here is what I have learned about prayer and life.
We live in a world of order.
Basically the world is governed by natural and spiritual principles set into motion by God. The sun rises and the sun sets at a predictable time each day. Drop a ball and it will go down, not up or sideways. Give and it shall be given unto you. What you sow you will reap.
Most events occur according to these natural and spiritual laws. We do not have to pray the sun will come up in the morning. Natural law determines it will come up unless God intervenes with a miracle that overrides the natural law.
We can thank God nearly all events are governed by these laws and therefore predictable otherwise our world would be so random it would be chaos. There could be no science or technology if the same action continually produced different and unpredictable results. We could not be sure a plane that flew yesterday would fly today. Gravity would impact the world one day but perhaps not the next. If I planted corn I might end up with a harvest of broccoli, or mice. There would be no way of knowing. Our world would be a continually new and frightening place.
On occasion, God steps in and overrides one of these laws of nature. We call God’s intervention a “miracle”. It rains when it was not supposed to rain. A person with no hope medically is instantly healed.
Based upon natural laws, the one most likely to get the job is the boss’ nephew, or the one who made the biggest impression upon the boss in an interview or via a resume. The candidate most qualified, better prepared, with the best work history, most impressively dressed, etc. is most likely to get the job – all else being equal – which it seldom is.
How to get a better job.
So, if you want a better job, it is certainly a good idea to pray but to really increase your chances; work hard where you are, show up on time, be an outstanding employee, be friendly and helpful, go beyond the minimum requirements. In other words, follow Biblical principles for hard work and prosperity as outlined in God’s Word. Begin to put the power of the spiritual principles to work for you instead of hoping prayer will somehow produce a miracle that overrides your bad work history and lands you the position.
These spiritual principles are more powerful than prayer. Line your life up with them and you will be able to spend less time in emergency prayer sessions and more time enjoying the blessings of God.