We love to pray for favor.

“Lord, expand my territory.”
“Open the right doors.”
“Bring me into the next season.”

And then we close the laptop, scroll Instagram, and leave our resume untouched since 2021.

We act like if we just believe hard enough, God will drop a six-figure salary and a boss who quotes Jeremiah 29:11 in your one-on-one.

Look, prayer is powerful. It aligns our hearts with God’s will. But prayer without preparation? That’s just procrastination.
God is not going to promote you into something you’re not prepared to carry.

If the door opened today, would you even be ready to walk through it?
Or would you trip over your own lack of preparation the minute it cracked open?

David got anointed… and then sent back to sheep

Let’s sit with this a minute.

David is handpicked by God, anointed by a prophet in front of his whole family, told he’s the next king of Israel. King!
And what happens next?

Does he go straight to the palace?
Nope. He goes back to the fields.
Back to sheep. Back to obscurity. Back to smelling like livestock and getting sunburnt while singing psalms to himself.

David didn’t update his LinkedIn to “Future Ruler of Israel.”
He didn’t start a podcast called Kingdom Leadership with Dave.
He went back to the field.

This wasn’t a detour. It was discipleship.

Because the same David who’d one day lead armies needed to first learn how to protect a flock.
The courage to face Goliath? Formed while fighting lions and bears in silence.
The wisdom to lead a nation? Shaped while being overlooked at home.

God’s promotion doesn’t bypass preparation.

He doesn’t microwave leaders. He slow cooks them.

And if you’re in the “field” right now (underpaid, unnoticed, or just over it), you’re in good company.

That’s where kings are made.

You’re not waiting on God. You’re procrastinating.

This one might sting, but we’re family, so I’ll say it:

Some of us are using “waiting on God” as a spiritual-sounding cover for fear, laziness, or indecision.

Yes, there’s value in patience. But biblical waiting is active, not passive.

Think of Noah building the ark.
Moses learning leadership in Midian.
Paul making tents between mission trips.

They weren’t sitting on their hands. They were moving while trusting.

So why are we praying for a promotion… but not updating our resume?
Asking for a bigger platform… but not honing our message?
Believing for open doors… but not even knocking?

Stop praying for opportunities you’re not preparing for.

If God gave you what you’re asking for today… could you handle it?

You’re asking God for a blessing. That’s beautiful.

But ask yourself: what would happen if He said “yes” right now?

Would that leadership role crush you because you never learned boundaries?
Would that influence break you because you still find identity in other people’s approval?
Would that salary get wasted because you never learned how to budget?

God isn’t just interested in giving us things.
He’s interested in growing us into people who can carry them with wisdom, maturity, and grace.

“To whom much is given, much is required.” (Luke 12:48)

The goal isn’t to get more, it’s to become more.
More grounded. More disciplined. More in tune with what God’s really asking of you.

FAITH TAKEAWAY:

God promotes prepared people.

God doesn’t need you to hustle. He’s not impressed by your output.
But He’s absolutely invested in your obedience, and your preparation is part of that obedience.

So yes, pray.
Pray bold prayers.
Pray expectantly.
Pray with your hands open.

But while you’re praying… start preparing.

Because when the door opens, it won’t be a surprise.
It’ll feel like the next step of a plan that was already in motion, one God’s been building with you the whole time.

If this challenged you, good. That tension you're feeling? It might be God nudging you toward the work, not just the wish.

At Brightide, we write for Christians who want to show up with purpose in their work, leadership, and life.

📩 Subscribe now if you’re ready to stop waiting and start preparing.

Because calling doesn’t start with a title. It starts with faithfulness.