I heard this statement not to long ago and it really bothered me: “When we pray, we don’t expect some of the things that we pray for to happen.” If that is true why are we praying. If we pray for someone to come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, but we don’t expect it to happen, why are we praying. If we pray for God to provide, but we don’t believe He will, why are we praying?
When we pray we need to pray as if we expect God to show up, because He will. It is not always in our time or in the answer we want, but He will answer in His timing and what is best for us.
When we finish praying we should “Look up and look around.” When we pray we need to expect God to answer. He answers every prayer in a “Yes”, a “No” or a “Wait.” Obviously the one answer we want is a “Yes,” but we have to trust that God is going to answer our prayers in a way that He sees fitting.
Prayer should be a part of a Christian’s life. Not just sitting at the dinner table and saying a prayer over the meal or waiting until you are about to fall asleep to pray, but actually engaging in a conversation with God. We also need to take time to listen. You don’t want to be friends with someone who all they do is come and talk to you about their problems and ask you for stuff, that’s a one sided relationship. You want that person to listen to what you have to say as well. God wants to talk to us, He wants us to listen and I feel that so many times Followers of Jesus forget that aspect of prayer. If we ask God what He want us to do, like which job should I take, where should I go to school, should I pursue this relationship, etc. but we don’t take time to listen to Him how will we know what He wants us to do? God will talk to you in various ways, example: through His word, through other people, in your own heart. You just need to be aware.
So to wrap this up: Next time you spend time talking to God, pray like you expect Him to answer, and take time to listen to Him.
