What Do You Expect God To Do When You Pray?

The early church prayed expecting God to act. What do you expect God to do when believers pray together?

How often does the building in which you pray shake? How often do you leave a time of prayer with excitement and boldness? Probably not often-if ever.

It may not have been a normal experience, but Acts 4:31 records the early church gathered in prayer and the building shook:

“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” 

Does the building shake when you pray?

Maybe we should ask: Do we expect God to respond when we pray?

The early church prayed expecting God to act. Many modern Christians pray expecting little. What would happen if we believed God hears and answers when we pray?

As a high schooler, a group of us met regularly before school for a prayer and encouragement. I saw God do the miraculous: lives changed—including mine, people were healed—including my torn knee cartilage. The same happened when I served in the Air Force and found other Christians to meet with for fellowship and prayer. God moved powerfully, we were bold, and new believers joined our ranks.

Then life became busier and we gradually lost those rhythms of prayer and fellowship. Work, marriage, children, and countless responsibilities crowded our schedules. 

As prayer became less central, we became less aware of God’s presence, less dependent upon His power, and less bold in our witness. Along the way, many of us stopped expecting God to move powerfully when we prayed. 

Prayer is often a footnote.

The Holy Spirit may indwell the individual believer, but if we quench His voice, He doesn’t force us to experience His life-transforming presence. Prayer does not manipulate God, but it does align us with His purposes. As we seek Him together, He strengthens our faith, deepens our dependence on Him, and often works in ways we never could do on our own. 

Where do we begin?

The Psalmist experienced spiritual drought, and He prayed for the power to return: 

“In my distress I called to the Lord; 
      I cried to my God for help. 
From his temple he heard my voice; 
my cry came before him, into his ears. 
The earth trembled and quaked, 
and the foundations of the mountains shook”
(Psalm 18:6-7 NIV).

David cried out to God, and the earth shook. The early church prayed together, and the building shook. In both cases God responded. In both cases, the point wasn’t the shaking—it was that God heard and answered prayer.

Today, make time to pray with other believers. Ask God to deepen your dependence on Him, fill you with His Spirit and increase your expectation that He hears and answers prayer. The building may not shake—but don’t be surprised if God begins shaking your heart, your priorities, and the lives of those around you.