Proverbs 1:7  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.  But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

There are some things that you  know that you Know that you KNOW.  The fear of the Lord is one of those things.  When you ask and receive over and over again, it reinforces the fact that our Lord is attentive to his children's cries.  Yes, there are testing times when the teacher is silent... when your prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling... when the teacher's silence is really saying, "Did you learn what I taught you?  Are you trusting me?  Will you keep trusting me when you DON'T get what you want?"  Only in the testing can we really know how deep our faithfulness is!  Is it only skin deep?  Are we only faithful to God when he's a vending machine... (we put in our time/prayers/good works and he delivers whatever we ask for)? 

A good parent uses good things to teach, and bad things to teach, too.  God uses everything.  Haven't you read it?  "And we know that all things together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."  Romans 8:28   There's a song on Christian radio now that talks about 45 in a 35 (MPH speed zone - getting a ticket)  It says, "It's not the stuff that I would choose, but this is the stuff You use."  (to teach us; to make us better)  Nothing but the best tests for the children of the King.