Sarah sent me something through facebook the other day, thought it's quite encouraging, (she, as a non-Christian, sending me this!!) so am posting it here =)

Hey yee kuan,

Hows your christmas going? :) have you managed to go on trips elsewhere or have you stayed in leeds?

i was going to text you this but its a tad too long so im sending you a message instead :p. I just wanted to share this with you. I was watching the film, "Evan almighty" on tv over christmas and there was one sentence that really really made me think. Its the scene when "god" comes to Evan's wife (after Evan has discovered he is Noah and will build the ark and she is doubting what to do with him) and God says,

"Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?"

It really made me think because when i do pray i sometimes ask for things that id like without really thinking about how they will come (if they do) but this addressed to me the point that god will try and help us if he thinks it is right but he will make us help ourselves. I discussed it with my mum and she said that God will only help those that help themselves. If we dont take the oppurtunities god gives us, then nothing can change.
What do you think?

Love,
Sarah xx

and I replied:

What you shared got me thinking also actually. I think God works both ways, depending on the situation and what's best for us. I mean, sometimes He might choose to give us what we ask for directly, and at other times He might give us the opportunities and help us learn through them. But one thing is, He loves us so much that no matter which way He decides to help us, it will be for our own good, and His ways of working in our lives we can never fully understand as His wisdom is so great compared to ours.

Also, it reminded me about another thing, that God will never tempt us in such a way that we can't take it. He will put trials at some point or another in our lives, through which we can potentially grow so much in Him. And some of these trials can be quite harsh, involving areas which we'd never like God to touch on. In these circumstances, God wants us to stay strong, with the strength that He provides, and the peace which He will graciously give if we ask for. He comforts throughout, even when we grow weary, and He'll deliver us through. It is often in a retrospect view that we realise that He's helped us through though, this is how He guides. =) And yup, of course we'll have to help ourselves too, things won't just turn better on their own. Prayers is one of the things which we can do, besides grabbing the opportunity that God place in our lives =)

Yee Kuan