"I'd Rather Do It Myself!"

by Tim Knappenberger

Even without a headache, I'm one of those people who would prefer to do it myself because:

• I determine the quality.
• I am in better control of the outcome.
• I am protected from the screw-ups and failures of others.
• I earn the credit for success or accept the blame for failure.

Even this marvel of technology I write upon feeds my "self-do it" mentality. Computers have allowed me to be my own bookkeeper, publisher, investor, statistician, researcher, appointment setter, etc. Functions previously requiring the help of others can now be done by myself with an amazing degree of quality right from my keyboard. Nevertheless, just as our technological tools are permitting us a level of autonomy and independence not previously known, there is also a counter-balancing tension coming from those espousing team work. Teams are all the rage, from auto assembly lines in Detroit to Catholic Churches in Latin America. Words like synergy, consensus building, and collaboration fill our "work speak" world. Their gospel is affirming that two (and preferably more) heads are better than one. Working together, sharing resources, and pooling talents achieves far more than will the old individualistic credos. Oh, don't get me wrong; I fully agree with the team work concept. It's just that, well. . . most times, I'd still rather do it myself.

As with other "new" and original ideas, team work is yet another that can trace its origins to God; not Covey, Deming, or Blanchard. God, for some strange reason, wants to be teamed up with Man to accomplish His work. I'm not ashamed to say that most of the time this totally baffles me. If ever there were reasons for going it alone, God has a lock on them all: Quality. Who can compete with Holiness? Outcome. God not only penned the Introduction, he's already finished the Last Chapter. Risk from error and screw-ups. They're not even in God's vocabulary. God's desire for teaming with humans is found in a variety of ways; from His endowing us with procreative power to entrusting us with the stewardship of creation. Nevertheless, probably no other expression of teamwork between God and Man is more profound than that of prayer. God often chooses to wait for us to pray for a situation or a person before acting in behalf of that situation or person. Sure, He could heal or bless or intervene on His own, but instead, He waits on us to partner with Him. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:18) When you really stop to think about this, it's not only awe inspiring, it's downright frightening! Did you ever stop to consider that failing to pray for a person's situation that's been made known to you might be forestalling or preventing God's intervention in their life? Whoa! Disquieting, but true. In His wisdom, God elects to constrain and channel His power through the "prayer hose" of His people. Through such a conduit, He might shower them with blessings or extinguish flames of adversity. It's clear that this is one area where no believer can go it alone. Doing so would be about as effective as showing up at a 3-alarm blaze dragging an empty fire hose.

So the next time you go to God in prayer, picture yourself as that conduit of spiritual power. You and God teamed together. Your prayer carrying God's divine purposes to people and situations He very much wants to work in and in which people very much need Him to. Don't fret over the outcomes, just focus on the delivery.

So, how's your "prayer hose"?

Open and flowing or kinked and knotted?

Please drop Tim a line at   knapp@raex.com