God does not…
God does not disregard the prayers of the faithful. Yet He sometimes does not fulfill their desires, only in order to better arrange everything according to His Divine purpose.
–Saint Leo of Optina (1768-1822)
If we do not receive…
Won’t you agree with me that, if we do not receive what we ask God for, it is because we do not pray with faith, with a sufficiently pure heart, with enough trust, or because we do not persevere in prayer as we should? God has never denied and never will deny anything to those who ask for his graces in the right way.
–Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
If God seems slow…
If God seems slow in responding, it is because He is preparing a better gift. He will not deny us. God withholds what you are not yet ready for. He wants you to have a lively desire for His greatest gifts. All of which is to say, pray always and do not lose heart.
–Saint Augustine (354-430)
If God does not grant all…
If, sometimes, He does not grant all you desire, it will be to give you something that is better for you; this is how the heavenly Physician treats the sick who go to Him wishing to be cured, rather than to taste pleasant medicines. Do not withdraw yourself from His hands, however painful His remedies may be.
–Saint John of Avila (1500 – 1569)
Accept those things…
Accordingly, whether we have our requests granted or not, let us persist in asking and render thanks not only when we gain what we ask but also when we fail to. Failure to gain, you see, when that is what God wants, is not worse than succeeding; we do not know what is to our advantage in this regard in the way he does understand. The result is, then, that succeeding or failing we ought to give thanks. Why are you surprised that we don’t know what is to our advantage? … So we ought to yield to the Creator of our nature, and with joy and great relish accept those things that he has decided on and have an eye not to the appearance of events but to the decisions of the Lord. After all, he who knows better than we what is for our benefit also knows what steps must be taken for our salvation.
–Saint John Chrysostom (347-407)
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