Kayla Smith

As a follower of Jesus, one of the practices that settles me into my day is prayer.
As a follower of Jesus that also works in ministry and inhabits a lot of ‘Christian’ spaces, one of the practices that occurs quite a bit in said spaces is prayer.

Recently the opportunity was offered for someone to pray as we began a meeting and within that prayer, the pray-er said, “Give us Your efficiency.”

I don’t remember what else he prayed, but I wrote that line down immediately.

It wasn’t a request to mold our efforts into something God would bless.
It wasn’t a request to make our paths clear or our ideas creative.

It was a request for efficiency.

To be efficient means to achieve maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort. At least that’s what dictionary.com tells me.

I don’t think about God being efficient. I think about Him as kind, loving, gracious, steadfast, merciful, present…but efficient has never been a term I’ve listed out when it comes to talking about God.

Yet.

He is.

He is the most efficient. He doesn’t waste a ding dang thang that He does.

The working power of God displays His efficiency in all He has created and all He has done. From His initial act of creation, to His presence with the Israelites, to His words delivered by the Prophets, to the incarnation of Christ, to the crucifixion, to the burial, to the resurrection, to the ascension, to the expansion of His Kingdom on earth, to His working in and among His people today, God’s efforts are maximally productive and minimally wasted. To go on and on about all of that in this space would take far too long, so let’s grab a bevvy and chat about it instead.

In a season of life where my own efforts seem to be minimally productive and maximally wasted (yes, I’m exaggerating a teeny tiny bit), I can ask God for His efficiency. And when I am open to receiving His efficiency, I’m more able to see that all of life lived in an effort to honor God is maximally productive and minimally wasted.

The productivity of my life isn’t reduced to tasks I can cross off a list or accomplishments I can add to my resume.
In God’s economy, His efficiency makes sure my days and my efforts are not wasted, but are instead an addition to the Kingdom at work in the world around me.

A life submitted to the lordship and love of Jesus allows grace to abound more than I could have ever hoped for or imagined.
When the milestones aren’t reached, the dishes aren’t done, the weight isn’t lost, the promotion isn’t received, and the [insert all the things here], God’s efficiency still tells me at the end of the day, “Hey, good job. You lived in my love today. All will be well. Let’s do it again tomorrow.”

So I’ve started asking God more and more for His efficiency. I want to be an efficient member of His Kingdom, but on His terms.
And I think His terms are simply, follow me.

That seems like the most efficient life I could ever ask for.