Our Role in God's Answer to Prayer

I'm not sure if anyone else has had this problem, but often in the past I would pray asking God to do something for me. But then I would find myself wondering if I was supposed to have faith He'd just do it, or was I supposed to do something too?

When I first became familiar with The Hallelujah Diet, the founder, Rev. George Malkmus, wrote a book 'Why Christians Get Sick' and he said he always had a problem when people in his church would pray or ask him to pray for healing, but then just go on doing the same unhealthy things.

Like praying for God to heal lung cancer, but not giving up smoking in the meantime.

He said people had to start living a healthier lifestyle, giving up the junk food, exercising, adding fruits and vegetables and destressing. Asking God to give them wisdom to go in the right direction and make good choices, but making good choices.

In a devotion I read today in Randy Alcorn's book '60 Days of Happiness' he gave an illustration of a man coming in to is office when he was a young pastor, saying he was disappointed in God for not taking away a temptation. The pastor asked if he had kept himself away from it - but up some roadblocks. The man said no.

Then Randy started pushing a book across his desk while praying out oud "Dear God, please don't let this book fall on the floor", all the while continuing to push it. And of course it fell.

He wrote, "Instead of calling on God to empower him as he took decisive steps to resist temptation, he kept making unwise choices while asking to be delivered from their natural consequences."

We mustn't expect God to save us from disastrous actions that we keep setting ourselves up for.