Prayer Plus

“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” James 1:22

It is recorded of D.L. Moody that, upon one of his journeys across the Atlantic, there was a fire in the hold of the ship. The crew and many volunteers stood in line to pass buckets of water. A friend said to Moody, “Mr. Moody, let us go to the other end of the ship and engage in prayer.” The common-sense evangelist replied, “Not so, sir; we stand right here and pass buckets and pray hard all the time!”

Moody understood that supplication and action are two hands of the same person; they should not be separated. God answers prayer, but He also expects us not to shirk our responsibility to do what is right. We do not always have to be in quiet solitude to cry out to God.