photo: canva.com
I love the story below. It has so much to do with our expectations of prayer. We pray our hearts out for GOD to answer requests that seem impossible. Often we are aware that our faith is small. That is okay. Jesus said our faith didn’t need to be huge. It only needed to be the size of a mustard seed. Those trees grow. That tiny seed goes into the ground and a huge tree grows up!
Often we are aware that our faith is small. That is okay. Jesus said our faith didn't need to be huge. It only needed to be the size of a mustard seed. Share on XThe amount of faith isn’t the issue. The issue is where the faith is placed! If a tiny amount of faith is placed in Jesus, great things happen. They aren’t always the things we planned on. But GOD is always working out His will.
In this case, GOD answered in the way this group of Believers were asking. It turned out that when He did, they didn’t expect it. They were surprised. All their praying wasn’t wasted after all! stop GOD answered their prayer and saved Peter’s life! There he stood in front of them and they didn’t believe it.
The amount of faith isn’t the issue. The issue is where the faith is placed! Share on XNext time you wonder if He is listening to your prayers, remember this story. Sometimes, GOD does actually answer the prayers we ask for. Others, He is doing something else and doesn’t answer in the way we want or hope for. That doesn’t mean He isn’t working.
I need to remember this for me as well as encourage you today. So read this story today and be encouraged. GOD is still working whether He answers your prayer in the way you want or not.
Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night,
Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains,
and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell.
He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.”
And the chains fell off his hands.
And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so.
And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
And he went out and followed him.
He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real,
but thought he was seeing a vision.
When they had passed the first and the second guard,
they came to the iron gate leading into the city.
It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street,
and immediately the angel left him.
When Peter came to himself, he said,
“Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me
from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary,
the mother of John whose other name was Mark,
where many were gathered together and were praying.
And when he knocked at the door of the gateway,
a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer.
Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate
but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate.
They said to her, “You are out of your mind.”
But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!”
But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. But motioning to them with his hand to be silent,
he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison.
And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.”
Then he departed and went to another place.
Acts 12:6-17
Martha, such a great post on prayer. I LOVED how you said this: “The amount of faith isn’t the issue. The issue is where the faith is placed! If a tiny amount of faith is placed in Jesus, great things happen.” It’s easy get wrapped up in the thought of having enough faith. But you’re right. It’s where we place our faith that is most important. I think I’ll share this with my boys. 🙂
I’m glad you stopped by Jeanne:) the whole idea of faith and how much we have is an interesting topic isn’t it? Remember the conversation between Jesus and the father of a demon possessed boy in Mark 9:22b-24? It is longer than this, but this is the essence of the conversation: “…But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “’If you can!’ All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
Even that father, who seemed to have a good amount of faith, realized he needed supernatural help in that department. All of us do. Faith is not something that comes naturally to us. It also grows as we use it.
I love this story! It always makes me smile to think that they were praying but refused to believe it when their prayer was answered. It is encouraging that our faith doesn’t have to be perfect as long as it is placed in God.
So true Lesley:) i suspect i would be the same way if a few of my extreme requests were actually answered. it would be fun to find out:)
Life is so much easier when I don’t have expectations when I pray. Easier and better!
Cindi, i think that if we are praying, even if we try not to have an expectation, we often do. i don’t there is anything wrong with that. GOD often tells us to come to him like little children with our requests. the thing we need to do, however, is to learn to trust Him when He answers our request differently than we had hoped. can we trust that He knows best from his perspective?
That process grows us.
He knows we aren’t neutral about most things. He made us to have feelings and preferences. It’s ok. We can bring our preferences to GOD and trust Him to give the answers as He sees fit:)
So true! God often doesn’t answer prayers in ways we want or expect. I have to remember to trust in God and God’s promises for me; for all of us. I’m in the 43 spot this week.
welcome tara:) i’m on vacation in FL and doing lots of running around. haven’t made it to the beach yet:( i think that is the key…learning to trust GOD when the answers don’t come the way we want. but of course, in this passage of Scripture, the answer came in the way they were praying for, and they were stunned:) they couldn’t believe it! so interesting.