Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’
So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.- 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

Paul didn't get the answer he was looking for until he started listening.

Sometimes we are so busy telling God what he ought to do FOR us, that we can't hear God telling us what he wants to do IN us. Sometimes we have a couple of stubborn problems, one is we like the sound of our own voices too much and the second is that sometimes we don't really WANT to give up a 'sin of the flesh' that is bringing us pleasure. We have asked God to take the desire for it away, knowing that it is 'bad' for us and is something He doesn't approve of, but when he gives us the answer then we don't like the answer, so we ignore it. We keep asking and sinning because Jesus answer is like a Doctor telling a smoker to give up smoking. They know smoking is bad for them, they know God will support them giving up but it is an addiction that is going to be hard work and cost some suffering and endurance to conquer and we sometimes put it in the too hard basket. So maybe you need some help with it, but nothing is impossible with God.

God taught Paul lessons during difficulties, when he was reaching out and listening to God for help and survival. I wonder how many of us if we reached out and listened when we weren't in difficulty could actually avoid the difficulty? It does tend to mean that the good news about the tough times, in the valley's of our lives, is that you learn more about God in the valley than on the mountaintop.

One of my favourite writers, describes how God uses pain to communicate with us.

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts to us in our pains. - C.S. Lewis

Before God spoke, all Paul wanted was to remove his problem. After God spoke, he realized that in dealing with his problem he had learned a great truth from Jesus. He had learned about the supernatural strength reserved for those tough times when we realize God's presence is greater than our problems and his purpose is greater than our pain.