Have you ever been surprised when you prayed for something and God gave you what you prayed for? Prayer is funny that way. We ask God for something that we really need but many times we don’t actually believe that He will answer in the way we desire. We don’t actually believe!

In the days after the resurrection of Jesus, Herod was persecuting the early church and seeing that the people were pleased he proceeded to seize the Apostle Peter, intending to put him on trial. As Peter was sitting in prison, being guarded by four squads of four soldiers each - to ensure that he didn’t get away, the church in Jerusalem was earnestly praying for him.

The night before his trail, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, secured by two chains with sentries guarding the entrance. “Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists. Then the angel said to him, ‘Put on your clothes and sandals.’ And Peter did so. ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,’ the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, ‘Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.’” (Acts 12:6-11).

That was a spectacular, miraculous and amazing answer to the prayer of the church that Peter would be released. But when it dawned on Peter that he was free, “he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!” You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place. (Acts 12:12-17)

Here is the irony. The very people who were praying for Peter didn’t believe that he could be at the door! How often we pray and pray but don’t believe in the back of our minds that God would actually answer. And if He does, we have a hard time believing it. 

God does not always answer our prayers in the way we want Him to. But we need to live with the faith that He has the power to do what we ask if it is in line with His will. Praying with faith is the only way to pray. He is capable of doing anything. And when we don’t have the faith, we simply say, “Lord, increase my faith where it is weak.” He can do that as well. 

Father, would you increase my faith? Would you be as bold in answering my prayers as I am in praying them? Show your power to those who don’t believe. Help me believe! Amen