expecting

I have been thinking through lately the correlation between time spent in prayer and our expectations of God to move in and around us. It seems to me that those who have deep prayer lives have greater expectations of God. They expect God to open opportunities, influence coincidences, create "chance meetings", do miracles, and change them in the process.

Those of us with weaker prayer lives have lower expectations. Our "God-confidence" is low. We don't view ourselves as all that usable. We don't see God moving and working around us. We are blind to the "chance meetings" throughout our day. We miss opportunities to love people and talk about Jesus.

But maybe that is the necessary safeguard on the Christian life. Maybe we really aren't given more than we can handle. Maybe we are used to the extent that we are willing to be used. I don't mean "willing to be used" in terms of "wanting to be used." I think we all want to be used by God. But few of us are willing. I think willingness to be used means receptiveness to the Holy Spirit. I think this receptiveness is probably born in prayer and intimacy with God.

I don't know how prayer works. But there seems to be correlations between expectations, usefulness in the Kingdom and our time spent in prayer.