Imagine you have a huge project due at school—maybe a science fair project or a big report. You work really hard on it, doing your research, building your project, and making it look great. But would you only work on it and never ask your parents or teachers for help? Or would you only ask for help but never actually do the work yourself? Of course not! You’d do both—work hard AND ask for help!

That’s how the apostle Paul approached his work for God! Paul was collecting money to help Christians who were really poor and struggling. It was a big job, and Paul worked super hard at it! But he also asked people to pray for him. He knew that even though he was working hard, he needed God’s help to succeed!

Sometimes we make a mistake. We either work really hard but forget to ask God for help, or we pray for God’s help but don’t actually do anything! Both of these are wrong! God wants us to do both—work hard with the abilities He’s given us AND depend on Him to help us succeed!

It’s like when Peter was walking on the water toward Jesus. Peter had to actually step out of the boat and walk! But he could only do it because Jesus was helping him! If Peter had just sat in the boat praying, he never would have walked on water. But if he had jumped out without trusting Jesus, he would have sunk immediately!

Take Action: Think about something you’re working on right now—maybe a school project, learning a new skill, or trying to be a better friend. This week, try the “Work + Prayer” method:

Work hard and do your best!

Pray every day and ask God to help you!

Remember, God wants you to use the abilities He gave you, but He also wants you to depend on Him for success!