Our reading today was from Acts 12. It is the story of how an angel appeared to Peter in jail and released him from his chains. A community of believers had been praying for this to happen, but as my devotional points out, while they were praying with conviction, they were not praying with expectation. If our Father wants to give us the desires of our hearts, as His Word states, then we must pray with conviction and expectation that He will do just that. With our expectation, though, we should realize that His answered prayer might not be in the form or time that we desire. In that case, our hearts and eyes should be open to His work in our lives.
I think when we begin praying with conviction and expectation, our hearts also have to be focused on trusting God. I know for me, I really struggle with this because I like to be in control. I like to know what is coming next. When I was little, I'm not sure there were many times I would actually wait til Christmas to sneak a peak at my gifts. Not only was I master at finding where my mom hid them, but I also mastered re-wrapping them if they were already under the tree. Sometimes when I read a book, I jump to the end if the story is too gripping and I just have to know if there is a happy ending. Even now, with situations in my future, it is hard for me to relax and trust that the Lord will provide those opportunities or desires that are on my heart. I know that I need to, I fully realize this, but it's still hard.
It is my prayer that the Creator of the universe would continue to build in me a heart that prays the things He wants for me and then waits patiently for His timing.
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