Are You Forgetting This Important Step After You Pray?

TODAY'S TEACHING

Now to Him who, by (in consequence of) the action of His power that is at work within us, is able to (carry out His purpose) and do super abundantly, far over and above all that we (dare) ask or think, (infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams).
 —Ephesians 3:20

I used to pray… and then almost immediately start bracing for disappointment. Not out loud. I wouldn’t say it like that. But inside, yeah… there was this quiet “let’s not get our hopes up too much” kind of thing sitting under everything.

It’s strange when you think about it.

Talking to God… asking Him for something… and then walking away like maybe nothing will happen anyway. I didn’t realize how normal that had become for me until I caught myself doing it one morning, standing in my office, going over my plans for the ministry, staring out the window like I was waiting for proof before I believed anything changed.

That’s when it hit me… I was praying, but I wasn’t expecting.

And that matters more than we think.

There was a woman I knew who prayed constantly for her son. Not polished prayers either… sometimes it was just a sentence, sometimes frustration, sometimes silence. But what stood out wasn’t how often she prayed… it was how she talked after she prayed. She’d say things like, “God’s already working on him,” even when nothing looked different yet. I remember thinking, I don’t know if I believe like that… not yet.

Because expectation feels risky.

If you expect good and don’t see it right away, it can mess with you a little. It feels safer to stay neutral, or even slightly negative, like you’re protecting yourself from being let down. But that’s not how God teaches us to live.

Faith isn’t just asking.

It’s expecting.

“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 KJV)

That word “rewarder” isn’t passive. It means God responds. It means something happens. Maybe not instantly, maybe not the way we pictured it, but He is not inactive.

And honestly… there’s nothing in God that leans negative.

We do that. We expect things to go wrong. We replay worst-case scenarios. We protect ourselves by assuming less. But God doesn’t operate like that. Everything He does is good, even when we don’t fully understand it yet.

So when we pray, something should shift in how we think and what we say afterwards.

Not hype. Not pretending everything is perfect. Just… a positive expectation. Real, grounded, quiet confidence that God heard us and He’s already moving in ways we can’t track yet.

Today's verse is almost uncomfortable if you really sit with it.

Because it stretches what we expect.

I used to pray safe prayers. Smaller ones. Easier to explain if nothing happened. But somewhere along the way, I realized I’d rather ask God for something bigger than I can explain and trust Him with the outcome than keep everything small just so I feel in control.

You don’t have to force yourself into some fake positivity after you pray.

But don’t walk away like nothing just happened either. There's a healthy, middle ground.

God heard you.

And He’s not sitting still.

So after you pray, expect Him to move more than you already do… even if you’re still figuring out what that looks like. Because (absolutely) nothing is impossible with God.

If this resonates with you, here's a short prayer you can say today:

"Dear God, I sometimes catch myself praying and then slipping right back into doubt like what I just said didn’t even matter, and I don’t like admitting that but it’s there. Help me not to disconnect right after I talk to You, like I said my piece and now I just wait and worry. Teach me how to actually expect You to move, not in some forced way, just real trust that You heard me. I don’t want to keep praying small just to protect myself. Amen."

God bless you! 

Your brother in Christ,

Daniel
Daily Effective Prayer

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