I love walking into a church where there is a sense of expectancy—not expectancy of a great time of worship or inspiring teaching from God’s Word, although both contribute to this atmosphere. What excites me is a sense of expectancy about what God is going to do and what He is doing.
I remember a church some years ago—not a large church—that was having a fruitful season. Each Sunday for weeks someone would respond to an invitation to receive Christ, or the church heard a report of someone surrendering to Christ during the week. A layman told me the congregation could hardly wait to go to church each week to see who had come to faith in Christ. They were faithfully bringing names of people before the Lord in prayer, and He was answering! The atmosphere was filled with expectancy.
A few years ago, a friend of mine led his church in a week of 24/7 prayer that was to conclude on Easter. After the Easter services, he left for vacation. When he returned, he was surprised to learn that the 24/7 prayer was continuing. It continued for more than two years with multiple answers to prayer and a growing expectation of what God was going to do. One young unbeliever accompanied a friend to the prayer room for her time to pray—and within the hour that unbeliever came to faith in Christ.
Early-Church Atmosphere
As you read the Book of Acts and the Epistles you soon feel the atmosphere of the early Church. Those early believers prayed with expectancy—and with confidence. Here are evidences of their confident practice of prayer:
- In all matters prayer is the first priority rather than the last resort (Acts 2:42, 6:4).
- When opposition arises to the message of Christ, prayer is the spontaneous response (Acts 4:23–24).
- Prayer is an acknowledgement of faith in the Lord (Acts 4:24).
- Prayer focuses on the fulfillment of the great commission (Acts 4:29).
- There is a sense of expectancy in prayer (Acts 4:30).
- The presence and power of the Holy Spirit is evident (Acts 4:31).
- God’s people are empowered to proclaim the good news (Acts 4:31, 33).
- The leaders are praying people, and they set an example of prayer for the congregation (Acts 1:14, 6:4).1
- Prayer is a way of life throughout the church. Not an isolated program, prayer permeates every ministry of the church (Eph. 6:18).2
- God’s presence fills His house. Perhaps the single most distinguishing characteristic of a “house of prayer” is that it is filled with the tangible presence of God (Acts 2:2).
- With prayer, an increased spiritual hunger results in unbelievers coming to faith in Christ and believers deepening their faith (Acts 2).
- Spending time in the presence of the Lord produces humility, purity, unity, compassion, and Christlikeness in the lives of the leaders and the congregation (Col. 3:12).3
- As we read about the practice of prayer in the early Church, we become aware of their conviction that “if God doesn’t do this, it can’t be done.” They exhibit boldness born of desperation.
Recently a church layman told me about a property adjacent to his church that they had tried to purchase for years to expand their ministry. It was a residential property, but the owner was trying to get it rezoned commercial so he could ask a higher price. The church leadership called the church to prayer. Shortly after they began their concerted prayer, the owner sold them the property at less than the residential value.
Praying churches are confident that no matter what comes their way, God can handle it. Whether it is a changing neighborhood that threatens attendance, the death of a long-term pastor, or lack of clarity about future direction, a praying church has confidence, nurtured through the years, that God will lead them to continue expanding the Kingdom.
If prayer is not a priority, there will be no sense of expectation. Our focus disastrously shifts from expecting something from God to expecting the worship team to move us and the sermon to inspire us. We begin to look for what we can do rather than expecting what God might do.
Churches that consistently pray Kingdom prayers and celebrate answers will create an atmosphere of expectancy that produces confidence and boldness to ask God for great things.
Cheryl Sacks, The Prayer Saturated Church (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2007), 28.
2Ibid.
3Ibid.
–THOMAS SWANK is director of PRAYFIRST!, the prayer ministry of the Missionary Church. He is a member of the Denominational Prayer Leaders Network.
