“When things are the darkest, God shines His light the brightest.”
“Sometimes we need a shock to wake us up to the truth.”
“God allows us to wrestle for long periods of time as we reach out for Him.” (Cloud/Townsend, God Will Make a Way)
Wrestling with God usually isn’t a fun process, and it often leaves a mark (see Jacob in Genesis). We throw up to God our plea/wish/desire. We believe we have pure motives. We claim His promises that align with our prayer request. We begin to really ‘want’ it.
We must realize that God is at work, even if He is silent. And that He has the blueprint for us and our interaction with the world. Sometimes the thing that is being withheld is a wake-up call to get us to run to Him, to believe in Him and His best for our lives, to align with Him. Maybe it’s THEN when we get our answer to prayer, remembering that it can be Yes, No, or Wait for His timing.