Prayer and circumstances

I got my Zap (chemo) last Tuesday and was kind of wiped out. Too lazy to get up and retrieve my book, I read the mail sitting nearby with more than the usual thoroughness. Even one of my wife's catalogs in which I found a plaque with the following:

"A soldier's prayer" from the US Civil War days.

"I asked God for strength, that I might achieve,
"I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
"I asked for health, that I might do greater things,
"I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
"I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
"I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
"I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
"I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
"I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
"I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
"I got nothing I asked for --
"but everything I had hoped for.
"Almost, in spite of myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
"I am, among all men, most richly blessed."

This I found thought provoking. Then I got my book and opened to the next chapter, which was about prayer and praying rightly. It gave the main reasons for problems in our prayer life: not really knowing ourselves, knowing our situation, knowing what we really want; and not really knowing God as He is revealed in the Bible. Three remedies come to mind: first, making time for some introspection, something I am not naturally inclined toward; really spending enough time with God in the Bible, listening prayer and meditation on His word; and realizing the fact that the Holy Spirit will help with our prayers when we leave it to Him ("We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express." Rom 8:26)

Wednesday we will be leaving for a week in South Dakota with our daughter, son-in-law and grandkids. (My challenge is to survive a week with boistrous youngsters--which will be a pleasure I'm sure.) Back in April, when we made arrangements to go I was frustrated that I could not get a sooner flight (using Skymiles) than the end of July: in fact the time I wanted was right after I came home from the hospital and would not have been able to travel. God knew ahead of time that it would not be until the end of July when I would feel my best. He arranged the trip between chemo treatments knowing ahead of time when they would be scheduled. Isn't God great to work that out for me before I even knew I needed it?

Thanks for your continuing prayers.