Gene R. Cook wrote:
There is another way to express this principle. Pray as if everything depends upon the Lord, then work as though everything depends upon you. . . . When we obtain blessings from the Lord, it’s not just because of the work we do. The work doesn’t necessarily bring the blessing, but it does show our true desire, which enables the Lord to bless us.
Here is the principle, then: We must do all that is in our power, and then let the Lord do the rest. That suggests we need to find out what the Lord requires, then do it.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that you need to count the cost up front. You need to clearly decide what you will do before you go after the blessing. What sacrifices and offerings does the Lord require? What are you willing to give? If you don’t receive the blessing you seek, what are you going to do? Will you harden your heart? Will you become angry with the Lord? Will you say prayers don’t work, or will you say, “Heavenly Father, I don’t know why it didn’t work. I gave it all I could and it still hasn’t worked, but I know it’s not thy fault. Either it’s not thy will or I have fallen short.”
In my experience, the problem usually lies in ourselves. Often we have not sacrificed enough (I,e., paid the price) and thus the heavens cannot respond. But if you are willing to pay the price, the Lord will whisper to you and tell you some specific things you still need to do—a little more here, a little more there, then another month or two or three goes by and then you have it. Because you have offered what the Lord required, he can now respond. Of course we must remember that all of these principles are subject to the overriding will of the Lord. He will always do what is best for us. ~Gene R. Cook, A Year of Powerful Prayer (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013) p. 194-5
