There are three main reasons why our Lord does not fulfil our wishes and lets us encounter difficulties.

First of all, because we need to become aware of our helplessness, in order to repudiate the chains of vanity and of egoist self-confidence, in order to put our trust in Him.

Secondly, in order to strengthen our patience, that as the Apostle said, will bring many spiritual fruits: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, [a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

Thirdly, as a wise faultless doctor, our Lord often rejects our wishes and allows sorrow and hard moments in our life so that our mind would stop thinking about material things, about the slavery of the earthly things and persuade us to seek the Kingdom of Heaven and the eternal goods “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

(Translation from: Sfântul Dimitrie al Rostovului, Abecedar duhovnicesc, Editura Egumenița, Galați, p. 75)