讓我們來思考一個事實：禱告的答案並非總是我們想得到的。我們稱這為「禱告蒙應允的痛苦」。有一位講員說，他向會眾講了一系列關於引導的講道，到最後一堂的時候，他鼓勵會眾回去作一個實驗，他說：「按照我所給予你們的原則去做，然後告訴我有甚麼情況。」

幾個星期後，他留意到一位聽取了整個系列講道的婦人沒有回來參加聚會，他於是前往探望她。見到那婦人的時候，他問她為甚麼不來參加敬拜。婦人說因為她將講員所教關於引導的原則付諸實行後，感到很失望。這位牧者聽後很焦急地問她：「究竟發生了甚麼事？難道你沒有聽到神給你的回應嗎？」婦人回答說：「不，我聽到了，我聽到我應該寫信給我的弟媳，因為我七年前跟她吵了架。只是我就是不想那樣做……」

在我給你們講述這個故事時，我想到一句你們必定是很熟悉的經節：「光來到世間，世人因自己的行為是惡的，不愛光，倒愛黑暗，定他們的罪就是在此。」（約三19）。請讓我重複一個重點：永遠不要忘記，當你向神祈求亮光的時候，神所向你顯示出來的可能超過你的祈求。

We are spending time meditating on the fact that the answers our prayers receive are not always the answers our hearts desire. This we are calling "the pain of answered prayer". A preacher tells how he preached a series of sermons to his congregation on the subject of guidance, and in the last message of the series he encouraged them to put the matter to personal test. "Follow the principles I have laid before you," he said, "and let me know what happens."

Several weeks later, he noticed that one woman who had attended the whole of the series on guidance no longer attended the services - so he decided to call on her. During the course of his visit, he asked what was the reason for her non-attendance at church. She said that it was due to the disappointment she had experienced after putting into operation the principles he had taught on guidance. "What happened?" asked the minister, anxiously. "Did you hear nothing?" "Oh, yes," she replied, "I heard something all right. It came to me that I ought to write to my sister-in-law, the cat, with whom I quarrelled seven years ago. I just won't do that..."

The verse that comes to my mind as I tell that story is one I am sure you will know well: "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because there deeds were evil" (John 3:19). At the risk of being repetitive, the point is so important that it must be made yet again: never forget that when you pray for light, it may reveal far more than you wish.