This morning I read the following from “Acts of God” by Bob Russell: “How do you handle crisis moments, when life takes a left turn? It’s not the sunny seasons of life that reveal our inner strength, but the storms. It’s so often a dividing point for faith: You either turn from God in anger, believing he has abandoned you; or you reach for a tighter grip on His hand, knowing that you cannot and will not weather this storm without Him.”

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” (Ps 62:5)

Our too general neglect of looking for answers to what we ask, shows how little we are in earnest in our petitions. A farmer isn’t content without the harvest; a marksman will observe whether the ball hits the target; a physician watches the effect of the medicine which he gives; and shall the Christian be careless about the effect of his labor?

Every prayer of the Christian, made in faith, according to the will of God, for which God has promised, offered up in the name of Jesus Christ, and under the influence of the Spirit, whether for temporal or for spiritual blessings, is, or will be, fully answered. “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.” (James 5:15)

God always answers the general design and intention of His people’s prayers, in doing that which, all things considered, is most for His own glory and their spiritual and eternal welfare. As we never find that Jesus Christ rejected a single supplicant who came to Him for mercy, so we believe that no prayer made in His name will be in vain. “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

“Suffering is God’s laboratory for character-building. He isn’t causing your struggling, but He is making good use of it for a future you can’t see. And the darker a night is, the brighter the morning will seem once it dawns. Then you’ll walk forward into the rich, exciting future God has for you, filled with His grace and His brilliant intentions for you.” –Bob Russell “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.'” (Jeremiah 29:11-12)

The answer to prayer may be approaching, though we discern not its coming. The seed that lies under ground in winter is taking root in order to a spring and harvest, though it appears not above ground, but seems dead and lost. —Bickersteth

Delayed answers to prayer are not only trials of faith, but they give us opportunities of honoring God by our steadfast confidence in Him under apparent repulses. —C. H. Spurgeon