How prayer often works

[Blackwater]

I prayed for an easy life, and God gave me hardship, that I might learn to make things easier for myself.

I prayed for love, and He made me hated, because He knew I needed to learn what love truly is, and where I might find it.

I prayed for understanding, and He gave me confusion, so I might learn how to understand.

I asked Him to make me infallible and knowledgeable, and He gave me failure and ignorance, that I might learn to succeed and how to gain knowledge.

I prayed for grace, and He gave me pain, that I might learn the true value of grace, and its true meaning.

I prayed for what I wanted, and He gave me what I needed in order to get what I wanted.

He made ME responsible for what happens in my life, and in so doing, brought me closer to Him, and thereby, gave me the richest blessing I could have ever wanted, but didn't even know enough to know to ask for. And then, He bade me to pass it on, that others might know Him. I am so humbled by His grace and love for me! I can do no other.

[GhostHawk]

Amen!

My story is much like yours. I wanted to fit in, to be average. He made me unique and different from all. Like you I desired love, so he made me grow for 20 years until I was ready for it.

I greatly desired someone attractive "Hot" and he gave me short and dumpy, 80 lbs overweight but with a heart 80 lbs too large and smart to boot.

She has stood by me through good times and bad, good health and terrible. Through 15 years of being unable to work she supported me both by working and with her love. She has been a blessing in every regard.

The Lord see's the beginning from the end and knows what we need.

[USMC87]

Amen Brother!

[Pine Baron]

BW, you're on a roll. Amen.

[Blackwater]

If I'm on a roll, it's the most embarassing one I've ever seen or heard of! Took me now 68 years to learn these simple things. For years and years, I prayed for what I wanted. Instead, the Lord wisely gave me what I NEEDED instead! I thought I was so smart, and asking for all the "right" things, but they were "right" only in MY mind, and the Lord wisely knew what I needed, and gave me that instead. Had He given me what I'd wanted, I'd have become dependent on Him, just like so many of our welfare recipients do. Instead, He gave me the necessity to live and learn myself, so that I might APPRECIATE what I'd been given. He was SO much wiser and generous than I ever knew HOW to be! This is one of the thoughts I'm going to try to keep in mind for the coming year. That ought'a keep me REALLY humble, so I CAN learn, and so I'll pay better attention along the way ..... maybe?

[Boaz]

Matthew 6;19-21

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.


James 5;1-3


Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.


Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.


Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

[Blackwater]

I'm sitting here smiling, Boaz. So right! The thing is, many folks, especially the dumb ones like me, seem to have to learn a lot before they really CAN understand that, and the true meaning and depth of it. How does that old saying go? "Wisdom is derived from experience, and a lot of experience comes from episodes of bad judgment." Boy! Do I ever understand the depth and meaning of THAT lil' tenet!

[GhostHawk]

Funny I never learned a lot when something of mine worked.

When I really learned the big lessions was when I was stupid enough to get hurt.

That will stick with you, keep rattling around in your head in the wee small hours of the night.
Don't be afraid of failure. If the Wright brothers had not tried and failed, and learned and tried, and failed. Well who knows when we'd of learned how to fly?

Aim high, prepare the best you can and let er rip.

[Boaz]

That we are weak ....yea we learn the hard way . The important thing is that we learn . Sad fact is those that don't . Choice only choice .