FAITH ANSWERED PRAYERS: Moving Beyond the Form

Are you just "saying" prayers, or are you having an audience with God? Many of us pray for miracles but are shocked when they actually show up at the door. Drawing from the story of Peter’s prison break and a touching hospital encounter, this blog explores the difference between formal ritual and "faith-activated" prayer. Discover the A.C.T.S. method and learn how to pray with the same joyful expectancy as the servant girl Rhoda.

C. Atkinson

2/29/20243 min read

“Peter finally came to his senses. ‘It’s really true!’ he said. ‘The Lord has sent his angel and saved me...’ He went to the home of Mary... where many were gathered for prayer. He knocked at the door... and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, ‘Peter is standing at the door!’ ‘You’re out of your mind!’ they said.” — Acts 12:11-16 (NLT)

All praises to the Lamb of God! It is so sweet to trust in Jesus in our daily walk. Without Him, we would be wandering in vain, lost to our true purpose. Last week, we were encouraged to lift our "Prayer Baskets" to God. Whatever burdens invaded your mind, you were invited to release them in prayer. The Lord desires our full attention; He wants us to move past the ritual and consciously enter His presence.

In his book, The Power of Prayer, R.A. Torrey explains that prayer must be practiced until it becomes a habit. Torrey, who once wandered in the darkness of agnosticism, found the marvelous light of faith through the Word. He admitted that even after entering the ministry, his prayers were often just a matter of "form." Everything changed the day he realized that real prayer is having an audience with God—actually entering His presence to ask for and receive things from Him.

Activating Your Measure of Faith

Belief is our foundation, but faith is our fuel. Scripture tells us that every believer is given a "measure of faith" (Romans 12:3). Activating that faith daily pulls on God to move on our behalf. As Hebrews 11:6 reminds us, it is impossible to please God without faith; we must believe He exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.

I remember visiting my aunt in the hospital. Her roommate was incredibly ill, struggling for every breath. Her husband sat faithfully by her side. Before I left, I felt compelled to offer a word of prayer for them. To my dismay, the husband waved his hand, signaling he wasn't interested.

It broke my heart, but I was determined. We prayed loudly enough for them to hear, believing God for healing and deliverance. After we finished, the husband’s entire countenance changed. He whispered, “Thank you for mentioning us in your prayer.” That small moment revealed a seed of belief that simply needed to be watered. It opened the door for me to speak about Jesus and the importance of “praying without ceasing” for the salvation of their souls.

The Rhoda Revelation

In Acts 12, the early church faced a crisis. King Herod had executed James and intended to do the same to Peter. The church was persistent in prayer, yet their faith was being tested.

When Peter was miraculously freed by an angel and knocked on the door, only the servant girl, Rhoda, seemed to have the expectation that God would actually do it! She was so overjoyed she forgot to open the door. The rest of the saints—the ones actually in the prayer meeting—told her she was out of her mind.

Sometimes, like the early church, we pray with our lips while our hearts struggle with doubt. Rhoda’s faith was the "expectancy" God is looking for. While not every prayer is answered exactly how we envision, we must remember that the Lord is sovereign. All things work together according to His will.