When we discipline ourselves to give precise requests to God, we do ourselves an unexpected favor. It is easier to identify His supply when we pray specifically. How do we know if God has “blessed Agatha?” If Agatha has a wretched temper and needs help to control it and we all pray to that end, not only will Agatha be aware of the improvement, but the group will also—especially if its members have been continually affected by her temper’s meanness.
We have come therefore to expect answers to specific prayer.
This is illustrated by the request that came from a factory foreman. He had experienced trouble with several employees, and asked for patience to work with them as a Christian should.
“Do you really mean that?” someone queried.
Yes he did.
“Well do you know what ‘worketh patience’?”
Reluctantly he answered, “Tribulation.”
Then the group decided that if we really expected God to create an attitude of patience in the foreman’s life, we might as well pray for tribulation, since that was what produced it. Four weeks later at our next meeting, Al begged us to turn off the tribulation prayers because it had been the worst time he had ever put in at the factory.
“Have you learned patience?” someone asked.
“No.”
“Do you want to still?”
“Yes,” he sighed.
And, we continued our prayers.
The next month Al reported that God was beginning to work a miracle of attitude within his life.
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