Prayer and Expectation

Prayer and Expectation

When I was a young Christian in my college days, in the early 1980’s, I remember a speaker teaching us about the Country of Albania. He told us it was an officially atheistic country and it was a totally closed country to any outside influences. He challenged us to pray for Albania. I took up that challenge and began to pray regularly for Albania. At first I prayed with get enthusiasm but as time went by it became one of those things that I always prayed for. It’s not that I didn’t believe in prayer, it’s just that I got use to praying for this closed country that had been closed for some time.

Then in 1991 reports came out that Albania was opening up. I good friend of mine told some amazing stories as he traveled into Albania around that time. As all of this started happening I had two emotions: First I praised God for answering these prayers. But Second, I felt a little guilty that while I still prayed for Albania, I had stopped praying with expectation. It became something I just prayed for.

I’ve been reading 1 Samuel for my devotions lately. In chapter one we are introduced to Hannah, a woman without child. It was a torment to her to be childless (read the story 1 Samuel 1:1-10). So she prayed to God out of her “deep anguish”. Hannah had a desire and she prayed – with earnestness. So much so that the priest thought she was drunk because she was being so animated as she prayed (1 Samuel 1:11-18). She had a passion and she wasn’t going to quit praying.

God answers her prayer and she says a prayer (sings a song?) of praise to God. (Read the prayer 1 Samuel 2:1-11). She concludes the prayer with:

“It is not by strength that one prevails;

those who oppose the Lord will be broken.

The Most High will thunder from heaven;

the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

“He will give strength to his king

and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

Hannah sings praise to God and she put the power in the right place – God gives strength. God will “thunder from Heaven.”

When I prayed for Albania I was praying to the God who gives strength – the God who will thunder from heaven. That is worthy of praying with great expectation that God will respond.

Jesus challenges us to pray this way. The Bible says Jesus “told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” (Read the parable: Luke 18:1-8) Jesus concludes this parable saying “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?” (Luke 18:7)

Hannah cried out to God, and God answered – he brought about justice for Hannah.

I (and a great number of other Christians who inspired me) cried out to God for Albania and God thundered from heaven.

So the question is: what do you need to be praying for?

Are you calling out to God day and night?

Are you praying with the expectation that he will answer?

There are some amazing things that we can be in prayer for.

· For salvation to come to family and friends

· For God’s blessing in our fellowships

· For the message of Jesus to go out to unreached corners of earth

· For peace in the middle east

· For world leaders that are considered “despots” to understand, receive, and follow Jesus. (Have you ever prayed salvation for Osama bin laden? Kim Jong-il? Ahmadinejad? Others?)

Can you pray prayers that Big? Can you pray with expectation?

We need prayer warriors that can pray big prayers.