There are specific ways God answers prayer. I think knowing and understanding a few things is clear.
More often than not when we ask for wisdom God gives us problems to solve. If we ask for courage we get dangers to overcome. Asking for love God gives us troubled people to help. Over the years this is how God has answered my prayers.
Romans 5-3-5 tells to rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that in our sufferings it will produce endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope and hope doesn’t put us to shame.
God cares about our character and His purpose is to shape us from one degree of glory to the next. Challenging events and difficult relationships may be part of this shaping in our lives.
While God may send every challenge and difficulty, we usually do this on our own. But God can definitely use them for good.
Every challenge or difficulty I encounter I see that I have brought them on myself. My life can be described in one sentence… “Well, that didn’t go as planned.” But God always has a way of making it turn out for good in the end.
When our perspective changes we begin to see difficulties, problems, dangers, and troubles as opportunities to become strong, wise, courageous, and loving.
Instead of having the perspective of I asked for wisdom and I received problems. I asked for courage and received danger or asking for love. A simple change in perspective can change from I asked for wisdom to handle my problems, and God gave me wisdom because He loves me.
In a broken world, problems will occur, danger will lurk, but God gives us wisdom and courage when we ask.
From Pity to Praise 