It has occurred to me that some of the trials I go through might actually be God answering my prayers. We can get tripped up by the way He answers them.

We ask God to take us higher. We ask Him to increase our faith, to strengthen us, mature us and draw us closer to Him. But we may not realise that some of those prayers will be answered through the very tests and trials that stretch and exercise our faith.

If we want to go from faith to faith and glory to glory, we shouldn't be surprised when life starts placing a greater demand on our trust in God and His Word. James said:

In education, the further you progress, the harder the examinations become. The preparation is more comprehensive, and excellence demands greater dedication.

What if this test feels so hard because you're preparing for it with the same devotion that got you through the last one? New seasons can require new levels of devotion and consecration. The strategy that won the last battle might not win the next.

Consider David. In 1 Samuel 23, he enquired of the Lord before fighting the Philistines at Keilah, and when his men were afraid, he enquired again. In 1 Samuel 30, after the devastating loss at Ziklag, he didn't let his emotions decide his next move; he enquired of the Lord before pursuing the enemy. In 2 Samuel 2, he asked God not only whether to go into Judah, but where.

And in 2 Samuel 5, David faced the Philistines twice. The first time, God told him to go up against them. The second time, against the same enemy, God gave him a completely different strategy.

David didn't presume that because God gave him victory yesterday, he could repeat yesterday's strategy today. He enquired. He listened. He obeyed.

Victory doesn't always come from repeating yesterday's method. It comes from today's obedience. David understood this when he wrote:

Notice that David didn't merely acknowledge God as his strength. God taught his hands to war. There was instruction involved, and preparation, and a dependence on God beyond natural ability and previous experience.

The same God who prepared David for war is equipping me for this season. I haven't been this way before, but my God shall supply all my need.

We've all heard that muscles grow stronger by being put under stress. Faith is like that. How can it grow if it never meets circumstances that require you to exercise it? If you never face something no one could fix, how would you learn through experience that God can turn it around? If you never come to the end of yourself, how will you learn to trust God beyond the limits of your own reasoning and ability?

Paul said:

Paul went through something that exceeded his strength, and he recognised what it taught him: not to trust in himself, but in God. Sometimes the very circumstances we're asking God to remove are exposing the limits of the faith, devotion and dependence we've asked Him to increase.

I'm not suggesting every trial is a direct answer to a specific prayer. Scripture doesn't teach that every hardship comes for the same reason. But what if some of the things frustrating us are connected to the very prayers we've been praying?

So don't get tripped up because God answered your prayer in a way you didn't anticipate. Evaluate your life in light of His Word, and in light of the prayers you've prayed. Stay close to Christ. Stay in His Word. Stay in prayer.

It's in the closet that He often reveals us to ourselves, holding the mirror of His Word up to our lives. So take the time not just to talk, but to listen. Prayer is a two-way conversation.

And perhaps, before we ask God why we're facing another test, we should do what David did, and ask Him what He wants us to do in this one. Because what if God is just answering your prayers?