Expecting

What do you expect to happen when you pray? Do you expect God to answer? Do you expect to get exactly what you asked for? Or if you’re brutally honest, do you expect nothing much to happen? Do you approach prayer more like a wishing well—it’d be cool if you got your wish, but you know you probably just wasted a penny? 

I think this is an unfortunate trap we can fall into when it comes to prayer. If you go through a rough season, or a prayer that didn’t go your way, or maybe you’ve been trying to hear from God for a while, and He just doesn’t seem to be answering, it can sometimes shake our expectations of what God might do. But, God is always working in our lives, always answering prayer—even if it’s not in the way or the timing we would like. He is alive and active in our lives. We just need to re-frame what we expect God to do.

If I can be really transparent with you, I fall into seasons where I stop seeing God at work in my life. It feels like He’s not hearing me. It seems like all my prayers come back with a big “no”—or at least a “not right now”. It gets discouraging, but eventually I snap out of it and start praying, “God, show me what You’re doing in my life right now.” I’ll then commit to writing down everything I see God doing—every time I notice Him at work in my life. Instantly, these lists fill up. I find myself filling pages of a journal with lots of little things—and sometimes big things—that I see God doing. 

Did God suddenly kick His activity into high gear because I prayed? No. He’s been working like this the whole time. The problem was me and my expectations. I either expected Him to do exactly what I asked for in the exact timing I wanted it, or I let my faith get shaky, and I honestly didn’t expect Him to do anything. Both responses are a mistake. If you expect God to work in your life you will absolutely see Him working in your life. You just have to keep in mind that He is God and you are not. His actions may not be what you would have wished for, but they will always be with your best interests in mind. 

Start this week! Write down everything you see God doing or hear Him speaking to you. I'm confident you'll have more written in just a few days than you ever thought possible.

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

““Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14:12-14‬ ‭ESV‬‬