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Philosophy/religion

Join our Philosophy forum to discuss religion and spirituality.

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Original poster

sorry, its this old chestnut but not wanting a row over it

49 replies

MerlinsBeard · 16/06/2006 21:46

Just want someone to tell me in simple english, if god loves us all so much why does he not answer our most urgent prayers?

have issue with praying and have had for a while - i know not all prayers are answered just wondered why?and how does he choose who is more deserving?

OP posts:

learning · 16/06/2006 23:53

howw come half my words are missing?

Xavielli · 16/06/2006 23:58

May seem trivial to most, but I have found it truely helps in prayer....

Do you pray out loud?

Our chruch really promotes it as every word you say comes into exsistance. (Gen Ch1v1+) This is how God created the world, and we are made in his image.

Also, do not forget that the Devil's greatest trick was fooling the world that he doesnt exsist. Everything that has a name has a spirit behind it, be it good or bad, and it will listen to you when you speak with authority in the name if the Lord.

Prayer is our phoneline to the angels, when talking to them, be strong in your faith. say "Lord, I KNOW you can do this!" and thank him straight away for what has not yet happened and say "Amen" as it means 'It is done'

Generalising here, (no offence meant to anyone) most people tend to hang onto their problems when we are told "Cast your burdens unto the Lord, for he cares for you".

Sorry if this was of no help in your present circumstance, but I hope it helps in the future!

MrsBadger · 17/06/2006 00:04

interesting to hear the other side Xavielli, where God does take over and do things for us rather than empowering us to do things for ourselves.
Could never quite decide whether
a) it was a cop-out to hand it all off to God
or
b) I was sinfully proud to imagine I could handle things myself...

Xavielli · 17/06/2006 00:17

In my experience, God always does something and as others have said on here it comes in some unlikely forms.

It is right to pray for strength as worry about not being strong enough is a burden to cast to him. That strength always comes.

Look at it this way, If you had a problem that I knew about, yet YOU hadn't asked me for help, I wouldn't be obliged to help you. In the same way, although God knows all our troubles, if we don't LET Him help then how can he?

We have all been sinfully proud... but at the end of the day, even when we think we have done it ourselves, it is always God that has empowered us and made it possible for us.

Papillon · 17/06/2006 07:09

you get answers to your prayers when you are ready to have them answered. Sometimes that takes awhile even though we think it should happen immediately. The spirit world is not like that... things come to pass when spiritual appropriate not physically or mentally.

So you can answer your own prayers through the guidance of "God(s)" or personal growth and journeying.

MaryBS · 17/06/2006 07:38

I haven't got answers for you but I will pray that God helps you.

I can tell you that 15 years ago I cried out to God asking him to help me, pleading with him begging him to help me. At that time, those prayers didn't get answered and gradually I turned away from the church, never stopped believing but was angry and hurting. Over time I made tentative attempts to find out whether I could be forgiven. I went to an evangelical church (once!), where I was told I was damned to hell by a member of the welcoming committee! And she made me feel I really was damned to hell :(
Again later (about 5 years later), I had my children, I prayed to God to send me a specific sign they should be baptised - and He, in his mercy, did this. Since then, I have grown in faith, at first slowly, then, since moving to my current home/current church about 20 months ago, much faster, with the result that I now have answers as to why my prayers weren't answered, I now feel forgiven, and I forgive myself (the hardest bit!) to the extent I am applying for Reader (Licenced Lay Minister) training in the C of E. Interview is on Wednesday. Now I pray 'Let God's will be done'.

I hope this helps, I feel your anger, but keep praying - I hope that you will gain answers, but it may not be as quick as you like, and it may not be in the way that you expect. God Bless!

tenalady · 17/06/2006 15:26

I was wondering, do you think God lets us go through these trials and tribulations to find the right answers ourselves rather than handing it on a plate. Life is Learning and all that. I know its not very comforting at the time but in the long run prepares you for a bigger fight.>

DominiConnor · 17/06/2006 15:54

If we assume you're talking to the Christian God, it's not clear to me that he can answer.
A perfect God only does the right thing, without error, without ignorance and without limit.

If you are unhappy it's because you're supposed be be that way.

Original poster

MerlinsBeard · 17/06/2006 16:11

interesting hearing the different perspectives. Thank you.

#Nothing else to say at mo, still too angry and cionfused i think but thank you for answering.

OP posts:

MaryBS · 17/06/2006 18:05

DC, it may not be clear to you but its clear to me whether he answers or not. Don't knock other people's beliefs just because you don't agree with them. And given that He's God and we're human, who are we to second guess him? (no don't answer that.... I don't expect you to agree with me any more than I expect anything I say on the subject of God to make any difference :) )

MaryBS · 17/06/2006 18:07

TL - thats how I feel. I've had a pretty shitty time of it, but its made a huge difference to the way I am and the way I perceive (and in some cases help) other people.

Tinker · 17/06/2006 18:17

If god was all-loving he wouldn't care whether or not you spoken to him in ages. If he did care he's vain. Why would you want to pray to a god like that?

Xavielli · 17/06/2006 20:22

I don't think it is a case of him not caring.If we don't lift him higher than everything else through prayer and worship, how can we expect him to lift us too.....

MaryBS · 17/06/2006 21:17

Tinker, you're right, I wouldn't want to pray to a God like that. I don't happen to believe he is like that, thats why I pray to him!

PrettyCandles · 17/06/2006 21:37

My grandmother always said that god never sends us heavier burdens than we can bear. Perhaps what seems awful and unbearable to us has a purpose, if only to help us build our inner strength. Spiritual weightlifting.

I'm not convinced that god loves us all personally (but then I'm not Christian) any more than a teacher loves each pupil in the class. But a good teacher will put herself out for each and every child, will give of her best for each one and will teach each one to give their own best.

Peehaps we're too small to discern the pattern to which god works.

Tinker · 18/06/2006 15:25

"I don't think it is a case of him not caring.If we don't lift him higher than everything else through prayer and worship, how can we expect him to lift us too..... " Um, because he's god therefore, he shouldn't care whether you lift him higher or not. Vain. Don't believe in god so all of this is academic but have trouble understanding why anyone would believe in (or worship, shall we say - expect you could believe but ignore him?) a god that goes into a sulk if you "don't lift him higher"

Xavielli · 18/06/2006 21:17

Umm... Who said anything about God "going into a sulk"?

Ok let me rephrase this.... If you put other things before God, (ie, Worshipping your problems, as if you concentrate on them and not on God this is what you are doing) or of more priority than him, you don't give him the CHANCE to help you.

expatinscotland · 18/06/2006 21:19

Good luck finding the peace you seek, MoM.

I never found it from God, whatever that means.

bloss · 21/06/2006 12:41

Message withdrawn

FlameBoo · 21/06/2006 13:06

MoM - you know that I'm not a christian, so my perspective is slightly different. I don't believe in an all powerful god, so no-one is there to answer my problems, but I do believe that we are all connected, and you can focus to draw energy to get the strength that you need to help you through all your cr*p.

I am losing B one night over the weekend (I can't focus properly when she is in the house), and I will do some work to send you strength and healing.

But in relation to your psalms quote - your angels are there all the time, but sometimes they are doing the mystical version of "appear offline" to show you how strong you can be without them.

The living angels are about too - but you need to let them in more so that they can help you... there is only so much we can do when you have your fingers in your ears

As always - I am here (or not depending on my mouse batteries )... I answer all emails (or can just read in silence if you want to empty out your brain without wanting advice as such).

You have had a sh*t life in more ways than I suspect I can imagine, but for all that, you have touched mine in ways that you will never know. I feel honoured to know you and call you a friend.

Original poster

MerlinsBeard · 21/06/2006 20:15

flame...crying lots

OP posts:

FlameBoo · 22/06/2006 08:29

Oh no!!! I wasn't meaning to break you

MaryBS · 23/06/2006 03:34

mom {hugs} to you. Remember that when you hit rock bottom, the only way is up. If you don't mind I'll pray for you, that God gives you strength and his blessing on you. There are parts of my past life that torment me and remind me that I am weak and human, and I couldn't understand why God didn't answer my prayers. I truly (and finally) feel I am through it now, and with God's blessing I will use the memories of my pain to help others where I can. However, this isn't about me, this is about you.

Although we don't know you in real life, there are people on here that care about you and what you are going through. Your hurt and pain comes across and its very hard because any hugs can only be cyberhugs, and any words are just typed and lack the feeling we might otherwise be able to use to (hopefully) comfort you.

There are so many questions/prayers that I have that are unanswered, but I am finally FINALLY learning to say the hardest prayer of all "Not my will but your will be done, Lord". Not easy - and certainly not always possible to say in all circumstances (unless you're a saint!).

nearlythree · 23/06/2006 19:48

MoM, I have no idea what you have been through but you have obviously had a tough time. I think a big problem with God and prayer is our perception of God as 'him' 'out there' or even 'up there' who answers prayers according to whim, or what we believe, or whether we pray hard enough etc. etc. I really struggled with this for some time but now see God as 'right here'. So by praying it's more a case of being open to God rather than talking to him/her/it. So if God is right here it means God, or Spirit, is in all I meet and see.

I've just had ds after a tricky pregnancy. The dau after he was born dd2 collapsed and we thought she'd die. I couldn't go to her because of ds. She's now ell but we are traumatised by it. Then after getting home both our dds have got chicken pox, and now ds has it, and I have mastisis. At the height of this, I thought there was and is no God.

But I now know there is. And there are angels, too. They might be in human form (themidwives, the hospital staff, the paedetricians, teh maternity nurse, our hv etc etc) but they have the divine within them and they carried us through in answer to my prayers. And I can just feel the Spirit with me, waiting for when I ma strong enough to be open to him/her/it again.

Because when we are hurting we can't be open, too many other things crowd in. But I truly believe that this is when God is with us most, becuase hwo else do we face a new day? It is often only in hindsight that we can see this. I don't believe that prayer changes the outcome of things, Ithink that 'being safe' is not a physical thing but a spiritul thing, sadly. Prayer helps us to be strengthened, to find what is higher and best in ourselves in order to become selfless and see the divine in others.

Praying that the light and love of God will be with you. xxx

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