his child, will he not say "No" to harmful requests? God will also deny certain prayers in order to grant far richer benefits. God denied Moses' request to enter the earthly Canaan, but He brought him into the heavenly Canaan. God's "No" often contains a deeper "Yes."

Read the following scriptural examples. What prayer did God deny, and what richer gift did He give in each case?

And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided Me a king among his sons.

- I Samuel 16:1

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

- II Corinthians 12:7-10

Read the following prayer of Daniel found in Daniel 9:

And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, 0 Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments;

We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments:

Neither have we hearkened unto Thy servants the prophets, which spake in Thy Name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither Thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against Thee.

O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against Thee.

To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against Him;

Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets.

Yea, all Israel have transgressed Thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey Thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against Him.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

- Philippians 4:6

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.

- Colossians 3:17

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

- I Thessalonians 5:18