pastor always tells us 'be careful what you pray for.' if you pray for God to help you grow in faith, make sure youre prepared for what comes. if you ask God to help you trust Him more, brace yourself for the things that will be thrown in your way. everything you pray for with regards to spiritual blessings is answered- just maybe not in the way you might imagine.

i remember the joke about how some guy was stranded on top of a building during a big flood, and he prayed for God to save him. a boat came along and offered him rescue, but he said 'no, my God will save me!'. a helicopter flew by and offered rescue, but again he said 'no, my God will save me!' finally the man died and went to heaven, and he asked God 'why didnt you save me?! i trusted You!' and God replied 'didnt you see the boat, or the helicopter?'

our God is a mysterious God. but an awesome God nonetheless. when i ask Him to keep me and grant me protection, i learn to take whatever comes, and believe that is God's way of telling me He loves me and will grant me the strength to get through every day of my life. when i ask Him to give me wisdom, i must not shy away from the things i will see. i must take them with courage and know that God is teaching me about life, how its not as beautiful as i imagine it to be. when i ask Him to teach me to love Him more, i must believe that His chastisement when i love the things of the world more than Him is a stepping stone towards loving Him more and above all other things. when i ask Him to teach me to trust Him, i must, just believe. just believe. (: