Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7, ESV

The Panhandle of Texas has been incredibly dry during the past 6 months or so. As a result, many people have been praying for the moisture that we so desperately need. Overnight our prayers were answered as we received a couple inches of snow. The problem was that it came with sub-zero wind chills, and with drifts that were up to a foot deep in places. I just got finished shoveling part of the driveway where the snow had drifted, just so I could get back into the garage. It was cold and miserable, and the misery was compounded by painful fingers, toes and ears that had received frostbite a number of years ago.

When I got back into the house, it dawned on me that my prayers for moisture had been answered, but not exactly in the way that I had hoped. I'm afraid that as a result I was not as thankful for the requested moisture as I should have been. I have since repented and have tried to be a lot more grateful for this blessing, but it got me to thinking...

It seems like our prayers are often answered in ways that we weren't anticipating and, as a result, we are often not as thankful as we should be. In fact, sometimes we are flat out ungrateful. What a shameful state that is, when you think about it. It is effectively sitting in judgment of the quality of the way that God has answered our prayers and, I'm sure you will agree, there are few situations more fraught with peril as being so bold as to deem God's answers to prayer insufficient.

So, what is the solution to this state of mind that we occasionally find ourselves in when our prayers were answered, but not in the exact way that we were hoping? The inspired words of the apostle Paul help with the solution to that very problem:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:12-13, NIV

There it is! By combining the fact that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength, with his previous admonition to offer our prayers with thanksgiving, we will find ourselves less anxious and content. I don't know about you, but this helps me regain the perspective that is sometimes lost whenever prayers are not answered in the way I thought they should have been.

This is made much easier when you consider this undeniable fact: God has never let us down, not once, in prayer (or in anything else, for that matter). He is perfect in His insight and knowledge into everything we need, and though we may not always comprehend what He has done, we can rest assured that He will always answer prayer exactly in the right way.

And this should make us all the more thankful indeed!