Careful what you pray for...

... or better yet, know what to look for after you pray for it.

Many times we may pray for some of the strengths and values Christ has displayed for us.  We may even pray for strength itself.  We can pray for patience when we feel tested at work or by our children.  We can pray for faith when we feel our's slipping.  We can pray that God will help us love those who we struggle to even like.

Whatever it is we pray for, God doesn't just "zap" us and all of the sudden we are now "that". 

For example: When we pray for patience, He puts us in situations that require great patience.  The key is, the situations usually require more patience than we are capable of on our own, and therefore we need to rely on His help for us to get through the situation with great patience.

If we pray for strength, we are usually in a situation that requires strength.  It is the praying that connects us with God, and thus our strength is increased because we are focusing on Him.

If we pray to increase our faith, He doesn't just make us more faithful.  What would be the point in that?  That would require no effort on our part.  He will test us and we must exhibit more faith to pass the test.  Thus we've shown ourselves and Him that our faith is stronger and from within ourselves and focused on Him.

The point is this, pray for those things (and others like them) when you need to.  But understand, it is going to require work by you, through Him, to achieve the level of success you prayed for in the first place. You can't just pray and walk away, prayer is two-way communication. Oh, and one last thing.  Don't forget to thank Him after the situation has passed, that is part of it as well.