Did you catch Andy Stanley’s string of tweets during the Southern Baptist Convention’s meeting last summer? Gold.

One of the themes of the convention was “pray for revival.” Andy Stanley countered that with “get busy” and “do something.” You can read all about it on the interwebs.

I don’t think Stanley was criticizing prayer or revival per se. I think he was criticizing congregations and pastors that like to talk a good talk about prayer and “reaching out” for Christ without actually doing something. “I’ll pray about it” sometimes becomes a convenient way to make it all God’s fault if it doesn’t happen.

Shane Claiborne and others have invited us to consider not praying for anything for which you are not willing to be part of the answer. Something like: Don’t ask God to feed the hungry if you’re not willing to make a sandwich and deliver it.

I’m not sure it’s that easy, but I get the sentiment. Prayer is so powerful, so amazing that it cannot help but change us. Prayer invites us into the mind and heart of God himself… and then sets us on a path to do what God desires. To bring it all together, true prayer is the revival of the Holy Spirit in us that compels us to do something and get busy. 

With apologies to Friday Night Lights, maybe it’s something like: Hands held high. Boots on the ground. Can’t lose.

Get busy.