Hebrews 11:6
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
When you pray, what do you expect to happen? Are you expecting God to verbally answer you? Do you expect a sign or something out of the ordinary to happen? Maybe you find yourself expecting to get exactly what you were praying for? Or maybe you even pray and expect nothing to happen at all?
Sometimes it’s really easy to fall into the trap of “expectation” when it comes to prayer. If we are having a rough time in life, things just aren’t going our way, and we are expecting God to make things better because we are praying about it and it doesn’t play out the way we want it to, then our understanding and view of God can shift into a negative light. Regardless of our expectations, God is still always working and moving in our lives, even if it doesn’t look the way we “expect” it to. He is alive and active in our lives. We just need to re-frame what we expect God to do.
I’m going to be completely honest with you. I’ve been walking in faith for many many many years, and even now I will find that sometimes I fall into the bad habit of not being able to recognize God’s hand in something because of the expectations that I have. Sometimes it can feel like He’s not hearing me. Sometimes it can seem like all my prayers come back with a big “no”—or at least a “not right now.” It can be extremely discouraging, but eventually, I snap out of it and start praying, “God, show me what you’re doing in my life right now.” Then, I’ll just start writing everything down that I see God’s hand in—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.