Satan is a great deceiver. Man is often so gullible. The devil loves to get us believing statements that sound so good, but are so deceitful and untrue. They may partial truth, but are not completely true. For instance, have you heard anyone say or have you said:
“Just follow your heart.”
“God works in mysterious ways.”
“Money is the root of all evil.”
“Cleanliness is next to godliness.”
“To thine ownself be true.”
“Spare the rod, spoil the child.”
“God helps those who help themselves.”
“God needed another angel in heaven, so He called him/her home.”
“The Lord won’t put on you more than you can bear.”
There are many others, but these are not to be found in Scripture. The one I want to dwell on for a moment today is often said at the point of frustration, exasperation, and hopelessness, “Well, I guess all we can do now is pray!” Have you really given thought to that statement? What are you really saying?
This statement is a declaration of the following:
1. “I’ve tried everything else, and it didn’t work, so I guess we can pray now.” This is making prayer a last resort.
What does Scripture say about this?
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
2. “I have looked everywhere except the Lord and His Word for the answer, for the great need I have, but finally after much searching, I recognize I better come to God.”
What does Scripture say about this?
1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
3. “Well, I don’t have any other options. Guess I’d better pray.”
What does Scripture say about this?
Psalm 18:6, 16-19 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears. He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.
Often, the Lord does bring us to a place where all option are removed so we will depend upon Him, and Him alone!
Here’s the correct response to all of life, to all unanswered questions, to all needs, to all difficult situations, to all prayer burdens and to every situation:
Psalm 16:8-9 I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope.
Psalm 18:1-3 I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, Who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God . . . .
Today, drop the pithy, pious statements of the Christianese language, and speak the truth to yourself. Run to Christ in prayer all day long; not as a last resort!!
From A Pastor's Heart 
I agree that we often spout non-biblical sayings as if they were truths from the Scriptures. I have caught myself doing that too often. However, regarding, “I guess there is nothing left to do but pray,” I think there may be a truth to this that you have overlooked. I was sitting with a man whose beloved wife was basically brain dead. We had prayed together throughout her diagnosis, her surgery, her treatments, her successes, and her setbacks. At no point did we stop praying.
Now, as we sat at her bedside, Jim looked at me and said, “I guess there is nothing left to do but pray.” I knew he meant that we had exhausted all the avenues available to us in this temporal world and could rest easy knowing that we had done the best we could for her. And now, there was nothing left to do but continue to pray as we continued to put our faith and our trust in God.
Then Jim took a deep breath and said, “And, you know, whatever happens I am blessed. Each day she lives, I get another day with this woman I love, another day to talk to her and hold her hand. And when she dies, I will be blessed knowing that she has no more pain or suffering and that she will be with her maker.” We maintained our prayer vigil over his wife for eight more days until she received that greatest of all healing – life with her savior.
But we never gave up praying, even when “there was nothing left to do but pray.”