Gene R. Cook wrote:
When we’re seeking answers for prayers, the Lord will surely test us. He wants to see if we will serve and love him at any cost. He wants to see if we will continue in faith even if we don’t receive the answer we had hoped for. . . .
I honestly believe that if a family is praying for what is honorable and right, they have the right to assume that the Lord will respond to them. He will either bless them with what they desire, or give them some indication as to why they cannot have it, or indicate that they ought to quit praying for something they will not receive. . . .
All the Lord wants from us is to know where our hearts are. If our hearts are right we may receive the trials, but it won’t diminish our faith. Or we may not be required to receive the trials if the Lord feels that we have already received the benefit that would come from them. Sometimes the Lord will “pull the rug out from under you” in order to be sure of your heart. He may let you pass through difficult circumstances, contrary to what you may have prayed for, just to help you prove to yourself that you really will do anything he might ask you to submit to. ~Gene R. Cook, A Year of Powerful Prayer (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013) p.298
