Paradoxical God

I often find it interesting that so many times when we ask God for something that He gives us something completely opposite.

I, like many people, like to ask God for things.  Some think that we shouldn't ask God for anything, but there are many instances in the Bible where God asks us to ask Him for things.  Probably the most well known phrase regarding asking God is the one that states that we don't have because we don't ask (James 4:2), or perhaps the one that states that if we ask, we shall receive (Luke 11:9, 10) is more common to you.  Either way, God wants us to present our requests to Him.

Now most of us know, at least intellectually, that we shouldn't ask for things that are simply for our selfish gratification (i.e. a winning lottery ticket), so we tend to only verbalize the requests that we know we should have (even if in our hearts we still are hoping for that winning number), like patience, kindness, etc.  This brings me to the main topic in that often God gives us the exact opposite of what we ask for.  For example, we ask God for peace, and He gives us stressful situations.  (Now before anyone gets any bright ideas about using reverse psychology on God, you have to remember Who you're dealing with here.)

The key in dealing with these situations is the key in dealing with almost all situations.  We have to trust that God knows what He's doing and that He has our best interests in mind.