It is not what we think

Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:24)

 Prayer is not meant to be a “pious reverie” that has only a subconscious effect on us. Prayer is an intensely practical thing, as real as using the telephone. And the party at the other end of the line—God Himself—says to us, “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
 After we ask in prayer, then is the time to believe, to wait in faith, and to receive, according to God’s will. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
 “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” Faith is believing that God is going to answer, even if you can’t see the answer yet, or even if the answer isn’t exactly what we expected.
 It is not what we think about it, but what God says about it that counts. It is not what we feel, but what God wills. —Virginia Brandt Berg [1]

 God knows what is best for us and, because he loves us, he sometimes tells us “No” or “Wait.” More than once I’ve asked God to do something I was convinced must be right and was disappointed when it didn’t happen. But later I realized it hadn’t been God’s will, and I was thankful he had said “No.” The Bible says, “If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” —Billy Graham

[1] ] Anchor Ask and You Will Receive