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Earnest and Expectant Prayer
Brian Mashburn
March 19, 2017
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Earnest and Expectant Prayer
The book of Acts is a record of the fantastic growth of the church in the first days after Christ. Read it and watch as the life of the gospel moves from heart to heart and person to person at an epidemic pace. It occurs to me that this is exactly what you might expect when something as good as the gospel is introduced into the world, especially if God is fueling it.
And Acts is so clear: God was fueling it.
Perhaps this explains why it says right at the beginning of the disciples that "they all joined together constantly in prayer." (1:14) Read on and in 28 chapters, prayer is mentioned directly 33 times.
Coincidence?
Upon closer examination, you will notice that it is not just any kind of prayer that is mentioned in Acts. The kind of prayer that is in Acts has a unique intensity to it. The kind of intensity that you might have in yours if you want or need something really, really, really badly.
They were earnest in prayer. But beyond that, they were expectant. They leaned forward in prayer to a God they believed is real, interested, and moveable.
A simple question for today: Do we pray this way?
Is it unreasonable for us, as the church now, to expect the same results as the church in Acts? The Bible is a book of examples, not a book of exceptions. If there is a difference, do you think it is because God is less active, or the world is a tougher place? Or is it at least possible that we have drifted from the things that connect us to God's joint operation?
Today, let us compare our prayer life with theirs.
Why not use this series as an excuse to read the whole book of Acts? An easy reading plan is waiting for you in the foyer.