When Prayer Surprises Us

Acts 12 finds the church in a desperate place. James, one of the apostles, had just been executed, and now Peter was arrested and awaiting trial. He was chained between guards, locked behind iron doors, and from every angle the situation looked impossible. Yet while Peter sat in prison, the church was on its knees, praying earnestly for him.

Then God stepped in. In the middle of the night, an angel appeared, Peter’s chains fell off, and he walked out of prison a free man. Once he realized what had happened, he went straight to the house where the believers were still gathered in prayer.

And here’s the part of the story that challenges me. Peter’s praying friends were meeting in the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark. Many scholars believe this was the same house where Jesus shared the Last Supper with His disciples, and where the early believers gathered in the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost. Now, once again, the church was gathered there, still praying late into the night.

When Peter knocked at the door, you’d expect the place to erupt with joy. But instead, when Rhoda—the servant girl—recognized his voice and ran to tell the others, their reaction was startling: genuine disbelief.

Look at their response in verse 15:

“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” — Acts 12:15 (NIV)

Even while they were praying for Peter’s deliverance, they could not seem to believe that God had already done it.

What a picture of the church. What a picture of us. We pray, but sometimes we don’t expect much. We ask, but we brace ourselves for disappointment. We knock, but we’re not ready for the answer that may already be waiting on the other side of the door. And yet—God still moves. He still hears. He still acts on behalf of His people.

Here’s the encouragement for us today: prayer doesn’t just ask—it anticipates. Prayer doesn’t just lift needs—it leans forward, looking for God’s fingerprints. Genuine prayer (the kind that honors God and trusts in Him), says, “Lord, I don’t know how or when, but I believe You are working.”

In Acts 12, the early church prayed, but it took a literal knock at the door to remind them that God’s power always exceeds the grandeur of their imagination. Maybe that’s the reminder you and I need too. If so I challenge you to pray. Pray as if the answer is already on its way. Keep praying with expectation. Watch closely, because God often answers in surprising and beautiful ways.

Take a Moment to Reflect:

When you pray, don’t just cry out empty or routine words into the air. Express your heart honestly and invite God to work in your circumstances. Believe He can and will. Pray with genuine anticipation. Consider the ways God may already be working for your good and His glory. And when the answer comes—whether quickly or in ways you didn’t expect—receive it with gratitude and joy. Don’t explain it away. Don’t dismiss it. Celebrate it as a reminder that God still hears and God still moves.

A Prayer for Today:

Lord, I admit there are times I’ve prayed with little faith—just going through the motions, not really expecting much. Forgive me for those small prayers and small expectations. Remind me again that You are the God who opens doors no one can shut, who breaks chains I can’t break, and who answers in ways far greater than I can imagine. Grow my faith so that when I pray, I pray with anticipation. Help me to live with confidence in Your power and to give You all the glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.