OR DO THEY?

God puts His own with the people and in the places which will tend most to develop the spiritual graces.

He puts one who is orderly with one who is untidy, that both may learn lessons. Often our environment is but an answer to our prayers.

He puts one who is quick with one who is slow and one who is quiet with one who is talkative that the one who is quick may be patient with the one who is slow, and the one who is quiet may be patient with the one who is talkative.

We pray for gentleness and there comes a perfect storm of temptation to yield to harshness and irritability.

We pray for submission and God sends suffering, for we learn obedience by the things that we suffer (Hebrews 5:8).

We pray for patience and God sends those who tax us to the utmost, for “tribulation worketh patience” (Romans 5:3).

We pray for victory and the things of the world sweep down upon us in a storm of temptation, for “this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4, 4:4).

We pray for union with Jesus and God severs natural ties and lets our best friends misunderstand or become indifferent to us (John 15:2).

We pray for quietness and everything within and around Is confusion, that we may learn “when He giveth quietness” no one can make trouble (Job 34:29).

We pray for humility and strength and some messenger of Satan torments us until we lie in the dust, crying to God for its removal (2 Corinthians 12:7-8).

We ask to follow Jesus and He separates us from home and kindred, for He Himself said, “Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:33).

We pray for the Lamb life and are given a portion of lowly service, or we are injured and must seek no redress, for He was led as “a lamb to the slaughter” and opened not His mouth (Isaiah 53:7).

We pray for more love and God sends peculiar suffering and puts us with apparently unlovely persons and lets them say things to rasp nerves, lacerate the heart, and sting the conscience, for “Love suffereth long and is kind; love is not impolite; love is not provoked; love bears; love believes, hopes and endures; love never faileth” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8; John 15:9-10).

We pray to be useful to Him and He sends pain and suffering that He might have the pre-eminence even in the dark chamber.

We pray for opportunities to serve and He sends numberless interruptions and frustrations to teach patience and humility.

We pray for an ordered day and everything goes awry. “Our times are in His hands.”

We pray for unselfishness and God gives opportunities to sacrifice ourselves by thinking on “the things of others” (Philippians 2:4).

We pray for freedom of speech and clear minds and there come a stammering tongue, a dull mind and memory, reminding us that “God hath chosen the foolish things. ..to confound the wise” (1 Corinthians 1:27).

We pray that “a thorn in the flesh” be removed and God says, “My grace is sufficient” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

We pray, for open doors and because “there are many adversaries” we go our own way (1 Corinthians 16:9).

We pray for change in our situation when what we need is to let God show us how to adjust (Hebrews 13:5; Philippians 4:11).

We pray for people to whom to speak and He shuts us away unto Himself indicating that more is wrought by intercession.