Often great blessings bring great dangers.

However, things pleaded for in prayer can be safely granted by God without risk of making us flabby and presumptuous. How can this be? Because real prayer has its own built-in safeguards in that it is a definite discipline in itself – if we really are praying.

Those God greatly blesses He must discipline – through providence or through prayer and pruning of the Word, John 15:2-3. “The Lord disciplines the one he loves,” Hebrews 12:6.