I. Concerning prayer, write down:
          A. What are some of your considerations for praying (i.e. what about & why do you tend to pray)?
          B. What do you think are some of God’s considerations when He answers prayer?

     II. God’s considerations
          A. Some general examples
               1. Freedom of choice
               2. Delegation of workload, responsibilities, abilities, potentials
               3. Individual vs congregation vs region vs country vs world
               4. The “Responsibility / Privilege principle” — With every responsibility comes privilege, and with every privilege comes responsibility.
               5. Willingness
               6. Trust
          B. Some specific NT examples and references (listed in order of reference)
                Matt. 6:5-6,16-22
               1. Where we seek our reward
               Matt. 6:7-15
               2. Our intent to communicate with Him
               3. Our priorities concerning Him
               4. How we forgive others
               Matt. 7:7-11
               5. His desire to give good gifts
               Matt. 8:2-3
               6. Our submission to what pleases God
               Matt. 14:28-33
               7. Our desire to grow and obey
               8. His desire for us to grow and obey
               9. His compassion for us
               10. His desire for us to recognize Him as God
               Matt. 15:21-28
               11. His commitment to His plans
               12. His appreciation / acknowledgment of our faith
               Matt. 26:39,42,44
               13. His desire to do His will
               Mark 10:35-40
               14. Our understanding of what we ask
               15. The availability of what we ask
               Mark 11:12-14,20-27
               16. Our confidence of faith to receive
               17. Our grudges and unwillingness to forgive
               Mark 12:28-34
               18. Our honest desire to know the truth
               Luke 17:5-10; 18:9-14
               19. Our humility
               Luke 18:1-8
               20. Our persistence in prayer
               James 2:2-8
               21. His desire to give (wisdom) liberally and without reproach
               22. How we ask
               23. Our doubts
               James 4:1-6
               24. Our motivations
               25. Our selfishness
               26. Our disobedience
               27. His desire to give grace
               28. He resists the proud
               James 5:13-18
               29. Our concern for each other
               30. Our effective, fervent prayer
               31. Our righteousness; i.e. our desire / commitment to do right
               James 5:19-20
               32. Our concern for the lost
               33. His concern for the lost
               1 John 3:16-24
               34. We love the brethren
               35. Our desire & effort to help the brethren
               36. Our active love
               37. Our guilty conscience
               38. Our confidence
               39. Our obedience
               40. Our proper understanding
               41. Our living in Him
               42. Our realization He lives in us
               I John 4:6
               43. We are aware of Him
               44. We know Him
               45. We know the difference between right & wrong
               I John 4:14-15
               46. We ask according to His will
               47. We know He hears & answers
          C. Some specific OT examples and references (listed in order of reference)
               Gen. 3:9-19
               48. Our disrespect
               Gen. 4:9-15
               49. His fairness & mercy
               Gen. 8:20-21
               50. His pleasure with us
               Gen. 15:3-6
               51. His oath / promise
               Gen. 15:17-21; 17:19
               52. His interest in future events & people
               Gen. 18:9-19
               53. His commitment to keep His promises
               Gen. 18:20-33; 19:29
               54. His desire to consider our good requests
               Gen. 20:3-7
               55. Our integrity
               Ex. 2:7-10
               56. His desire to help His people
               Ex. 4:10-17
               57. His plans to help His people
               Ex. 15:22-26
               58. His testing of His people
               Ex. 32:7-14
               59. His reputation
               Ex. 32:30-35
               60. His punishment of sin
               Hosea 5:12-6:6
               61. We pursue a relationship with Him on His terms
               Jonah 1:14-16
               62. His plans to offer salvation to the lost
               Jonah 2:1-10
               63. Our willingness to repent
               Jonah 3:5-10
               64. His willingness to rescue the lost who repent
               Jonah 4:1-11
               65. He wants us to learn to care about others, even the lost
               Habakkuk 2:1,4-5
               66. Our willingness to learn from Him
               67. His desire to teach us
               Habakkuk 3:2
               68. We desire Him to fulfill His plans
               69. We rejoice in His salvation and make good use of it
               Malachi (esp. chapters 1 & 2)
               70. His dissatisfaction with our abusive disrespect in obedience & worship

     III. Joseph — an example of a person who realized from the evidence of God working in his life that God had answered his prayers and kept His promises
          Gen. 37:3-4 brothers’ hatred
          Gen. 37:5-11 God’s dreams about him as master of his family
          Gen. 37:12-18 searching for brothers
          Gen. 37:18-28 delivery from brothers’ wrath
          Gen. 37:29-36 Jacob about Joseph’s “death”
          Gen. 39:1-6 God taking care of Joseph in Egypt
          Gen. 39:7-20 delivery from temptation, Potipher’s wrath (and Pharaoh’s wrath against Potipher)
          Gen. 39:21-40:23 God taking care of Joseph in jail
          Gen. 41:1-57 serving God by serving Pharaoh
          Gen. 42:1-47:27 protecting his family by serving Pharaoh
          Gen. 50:15-21 Joseph’s discernment of the real situation
               ~ Was his understanding inspired by revelation or contemplation?

     Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?  But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.  Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.  (Gen. 50:19-21)