You never quite know where life is going to take you and sometimes, it can take even celebrities on a wild ride. Nobody knows this better than country music legend Garth Brooks.

One of the songs that Garth Brooks is well known for is a balad, Unanswered Prayers. He talks about a man who was at a football game with his wife and he comes across an old high school flame.

That is when he remembers that when he was younger, he would pray to God and ask that she would be his bride. Now that his life has moved on and he actually had his wife with him, he realized that the unanswered prayer was a blessing.

It’s a song that has a beautiful tune but it is really the words behind this song that makes it what it is. In fact, there are many things to consider that may be of benefit when a prayer is not answered as we would like.

Here are a few reasons why unanswered prayers can sometimes be considered a gift.

Friendships: We have people come in and out of our lives on almost a continuous basis and sometimes, the friendships we expect to do well don’t do as well as they should. Having a good friend is a blessing, even if it comes out of the blue.

2. Opportunities: When we have a door close, there will be another door that opens. When you think about opportunities that didn’t go anywhere, you can then look and see that it often takes you to places you never thought you would go.

3. Growth: We face a lot of setbacks in our life and sometimes, the difficulties we face may not be pleasant. Even though none of us want to go through adversity, it is a matter of self-discovery and sometimes, we can grow as a result of it.

4. Protection: There is a degree of protection in having our prayers unanswered. We often think that we know what is best for ourselves but sometimes, we just don’t know the right path to take.

So, if you ever find yourself with an unanswered prayer, look for the blessing on the other side.