The fact is, the Bible says a lot of things and some of those things seem to contradict each other. You want to do the right thing. You want to trust God, but you have a nagging feeling that you should do something besides pray, so you say to yourself, “The Lord will take care of it,” and saunter along chewing on a blade of grass. Are you exercising faith or being presumptuous? Are you trusting in the Lord or being lazy?

Rest assured, the Bible does not contradict itself. You should trust God, pray, and do something. But how do your needs, God’s sovereignty, His promises, and your responsibility to obey the Lord work together in the predetermined plan of God’s eternal, sovereign, and unchanging decree?