When we pray, we expect God to show up and answer. He always does — but not always in the way we expect, or on the timeline we want. In the passage below, Naaman, a military commander, arrives with a very specific idea of how God should heal him. When Elisha’s instructions don’t match that picture, Naaman walks away angry.
It’s worth asking: Do we sometimes put limits on God by expecting Him to answer in a particular way?
2 Kings 5:10-12 — “Elisha sent out a servant to meet him with this message: ‘Go to the River Jordan and immerse yourself seven times. Your skin will be healed and you’ll be as good as new.’ Naaman lost his temper. He spun around saying, ‘I thought he’d personally come out and meet me, call on the name of God, wave his hand over the diseased spot, and get rid of the disease. The Damascus rivers, Abana and Pharpar, are cleaner by far than any of the rivers in Israel. Why not bathe in them? I’d at least get clean.’ He stomped off, mad as a hornet.” (MSG)
We prayed for you:
- To say YES to God’s directions, even when they surprise you;
- To stay attentive to His promptings throughout your day;
- To listen well for God’s voice in all circumstances;
- To have an Elisha in your life — someone who can help you hear and respond to God;
- To consider intentional times of confession as a way of cleansing your heart before Him.
Two Ways to Expect
There’s an important difference between these two postures. Living with an eagerly expectant attitude — open to however God chooses to move — leads to a life of adventure and hope. Living with rigid expectations of others, or even of God, often leads to disappointment and blame.
We are praying that you experience a full life expecting God to work out things that are beyond anything you could ask or imagine.
Praying with eager expectations,
The prayer team and Dayn
P.S. While praying privately this morning, I felt God prompt me to ask Him how to pray for each person on my list. “Lord, what do you want me to pray for {name}?” led to some surprising prayer requests, which I messaged to those people. One resulted in a really beautiful encounter with God for a friend — and I got to watch it happen. God is good, especially when I stop assuming I know what to expect!
