I wrongly attributed the following saying to CS Lewis (twice!) “Pray as if it all depended on God, work as if it all depended on you.” Most sources actually attribute the quote to St Augustine of Hippo who is rumoured to have written “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you”. Best summary of source here.. Other sources have it as Ignatius or Benedict.
It’s very similar to an Arabic saying along the lines of “Trust God and tie up your donkey.” The more knowing and cynical will interpret this statement as a snide way of saying there isn’t really a God so in actual fact although you might give him lip service you actually do it yourself and depend on yourself.
Despite misattributing it, I did not use it in that sense at all. Achieving anything significant in your life is a genuine partnership between the bits we are responsible for and the bits that are God’s business. To really achieve anything we need to give attention to both. When He was here, he urged us not to worry about tomorrow and at the same time to use money and time responsibly. That thread runs throughout the whole New Testament. Even Einstein caught a flavour of it when he said “science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind” Source.
It can take both prayer and work to discover what you really want, and more of both to go and get it.
Found another error? Send a note to andrew dot halfacre @lighthouse365.com.
