I had been thinking recently about how this stage of my life has gotten rather routine – even talking to God about it! That can be a bit dangerous in that God often answers my prayers with a sense of humor.
I remember once telling someone in church when they came to me with a problem with another person exactly how they should solve it. That solution involved a confrontation and truth. As it turned out, I was the one that was put in the position of confrontation and truth-telling. I could almost hear God chuckle as He reminded me that I needed to be able to follow my own advice.
God often does not do what I expect Him to do.
People have asked me if God answers all prayers. That is a difficult question since I do not know all prayers. I do know that in 1 Samuel 14, Saul asked for a response from God, but did not get one. (“God did not answer him that day.” Vs 14 HCSB)
I have, from personal experience, had prayers answered immediately and prayers answered eventually. I have had prayers answered with a yes, prayers answered with a no, and more than one prayer answered with something totally different than what I expected! The answer to my prayers has often been unpredictable (but then, our God is not exactly predictable, is He?).
Looking back on those times, I realized that His way was much better than my original expectations. He is Omniscient and I am not. Even when His answer was not what I wanted, it was definitely what I needed!