Sometimes Prayer isn’t Enough.
The two subjects you’re never supposed to bring up at a dinner party are religion and politics.
Well… I’m going to go out on a limb with this one, because it’s a philosophical and theological question I’ve been working through in my own development.
A couple of disclaimers.
This is just food for thought. I’m not telling anyone what to believe or how to believe. If you believe there is, or isn’t, a Higher Power, I’m not trying to sway your belief system.
I’m going to use the term Higher Power because I believe there are many forms of Oneness. Whether you call it G-d, Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Hashem, Yahweh, the Universe, Oneness, Nothingness, the Flying Spaghetti Monster (it’s a thing—Google it), whatever you believe can be encompassed under Higher Power.
I’m not claiming to know anything other than my own experience of the world. So if anything I say rubs you the wrong way, please receive it in the love and care with which I offer it. And feel free to let me know, I’m always learning and growing.
The fact that I felt compelled to write that disclaimer is exactly why we don’t bring up religion at dinner parties.
Now, let’s get to it.
The other day, I was speaking with someone who was deeply struggling with grief and loss. They had all these bottled-up emotions about their loved one who passed. The more questions I asked, the more those emotions rose to the surface.
I asked if they had ever received any support to help them navigate their grief more effectively. A therapist. A peer support group. A grief coach. Anyone who could help them regulate their emotions.
They said, “No, I have my spiritual practice.”
Every time I recommended human assistance, they responded with, “My Higher Power will get me through this.” Or some variation of that.
Prayer alone is not enough.
That really got me thinking: how do Higher Power and Human Power work together?
Then I remembered the quote:
“Faith without works is dead.”
This is the synergy of divine and human.
We turn to our Higher Power for comfort. For faith that everything is unfolding as it’s meant to. For the belief that there is a lesson inside our challenges. For hope that we’ll take another breath, live another moment, see another sunrise. And for gratitude for all we’ve been given in this life experience.
But how do we attach that faith to action?
That’s where other humans come in.
Other humans show us the path. They demonstrate both the direction we want to go and the places to avoid. Finding the right help, someone who has already walked the road you’re traveling, gives you a map so you don’t get lost along the way.
Working with the right people allows you to become a more expanded version of yourself, shining your divine light even brighter.
The truth is, your Higher Power has brought the exact right people into your life at the exact right time.
So when your Higher Power sends you a boat to save you from the flood…
Get in.
Go with power,
Jason
Try this Simple Practice:
The Faith + Action Practice
Step 1: Look Up (Faith)
Pause. Take one breath.
Ask: What is this moment trying to teach me?
Pray. Meditate. Reflect.
Invite guidance instead of reacting.
Step 2: Listen In (Discernment)
Ask yourself:
Is this something I surrender… or something I move on?
If clarity doesn’t come immediately, that’s okay. Stay honest.
Step 3: Reach Out (Human Power)
Identify one human step.
A phone call.
A therapist.
A boundary.
A plan.
A conversation.
One concrete action.
Step 4: Move Your Feet (Works)
Do the thing.
Even if it’s small.
Faith sets direction. Action creates momentum.