Sometime last year, I reported a case of dry tap at our Port-Harcourt home. I returned from a trip on a Saturday evening and was informed that water was not flowing from the taps. We resorted to our neighbours for water while that lasted. My wife called for a plumber but he would not be available until Sunday morning. Just as we were getting set for church on Sunday morning, the plumber showed up and fixed the machine in less than five minutes. He informed us that the housekeeper must have mistakenly touched something on the machine which led to its malfunction.

There are things that prayer will not fix; accurate knowledge is what we need…We need to discern what requires prayer and what needs knowledgeable action.

Again this year, I returned to Lagos in mid-January after the holiday and discovered that water was not flowing through the showers in two of the rooms. I endured that for some days before sending for a plumber. He turned the knob that controls the tap and shower, and water started flowing. It did not take him one minute. On both occasions, knowledge came to the rescue. I could have prayed on both occasions, but that would have been inconsequential. There are things that prayer will not fix; accurate knowledge is what we need. Our text reveals the woes of God’s people because of a lack of knowledge. We need to discern what requires prayer and what needs knowledgeable action.