Looking for some simple Bible devotions? Verse reflections like this are by everyday Christian writers—real people just like you! They help give us reasons why the Bible is relevant for everyday life, and how we can connect with God each day.

You Can Do More than Pray after You Have Prayed

All too often, we stop after praying for someone. But you can do more than pray; after you have prayed, you can see what invitations God might have for you to help in practical ways.

After all, prayer should lead to action. So, keep praying for people when they’ve got something going on…but don’t stop there.

Check out this reflection by @ashcrafters.

Scripture: “Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk” (John 5:8).

Written by Ashley Ashcraft

“I’ll be praying for you.” How easily we say this! When someone is going through a difficult time, it’s often our first reaction to offer prayer. Which—don’t get me wrong—is a great response (if we’ll actually do it!).

But oftentimes we only focus on the “spiritual” aspect of a need as if it is somehow more important, or more holy. We’ll be willing to pray, but not always willing to act when what we really need to do is get down to brass tacks and help take care of some things. Are we simply going to pray for God to meet a need, or are we going to allow ourselves to be the instrument through which God meets that need?

In John 5, Jesus speaks to a man at the pool of Bethesda and tells him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” In this instance, we see Jesus’ care for this man’s physical needs—not being able to walk, and therefore not being able to care for himself, keep a job, etc. And this is just one example of many. In the Gospels, we consistently see Jesus, in an overflow of his love and compassion, meet not only peoples’ spiritual needs, but also their physical needs.

Why It Matters

When you’re tempted to believe that the spiritual is all that’s important (praying for someone, helping to lead them to salvation, etc.), Jesus’ care of the total person, body and spirit, should give you pause. Jesus gave sight, healed the lame, exorcised demons, and more. He met root physical needs as an avenue of sorts for getting down deep to those soul needs, thus enabling people to live out their calling and purpose—let’s be people who partner with Jesus to do the same!

Christ, open my eyes to see these “root needs.” Enable and empower me to serve in humility, no matter how inconvenient, no matter how messy.

Forgive me when I tend towards the more “holy” work of prayer—wanting to see a big yield from my prayers—and yet neglecting the holy work of a small labor of love for my neighbor.

Simple Bible devotions are a great way to connect with God in the everyday. We’ve got verse reflections that help us see reasons why the Bible is relevant today. Visit this page to check them out!