When I first engaged in spiritual formation, every prayer was answered the way I wanted, and those prayer successes built my faith.

But, after a while, I inevitably learned that not every prayer will be answered as I expect.

Yahweh is not our wish-list generator.
He is not a genie in the bottle.
He is not a force or energy.
Yahweh is a God with a personality, intelligence, and will.

We pray to Yahweh, and He responds according to His purposes and will.

We struggle in this. We rest in this.