"But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves". (Nehemiah 4:9).
Prayer is a powerful weapon, but the wall-builders in Jerusalem also were careful to set a watch against their enemies “with their swords, their spears, and their bows” (Nehemiah 4:13). They were ready to fight if necessary, but at the same time they were confident that “our God shall fight for us” (Nehemiah 4:20).
This is a sound biblical principle. God expects us to make appropriate use of whatever physical means are available for a needed ministry rather than to rely simply on prayer and divine miracle. The Lord rebuked those who came asking Him to perform a miracle merely to test Him or to see something curious. “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?”. (John 4:48).
Neither does He condone prayer in lieu of work, for “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless" (James 2:17). The same holds for prayer in lieu of obedience. As Joshua was praying for deliverance from the enemy, “But the Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this? Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings" (Joshua 7:10-11).
But as prayer without working is dead, so watching and working without prayer are futile. “You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it” (James 4:2). Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good" (Psalms 127:1).
The biblical principle is not only to watch or only to pray. Both are essential:
"Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”. (Matthew 26:41).
(Days of Praise)