And why do we give Him credit for answering our prayers whenever there is a good chance that it would have happened anyway in the absence of divine intervention? I am not trying to be a smart alec, I just really would like a legitimate answer to this question so I will know. Any abusive answers will be reported as such.
2006-12-02 03:41:48 · 20 answers · asked by Karasu 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
From your question it appears you perceive God to be some kind of a Genie. The Genie pops out of the bottle and must serve the one who rubbed the bottle and give him everything he asks for whether it be wise or not.
1) God ain't a Genie.
2) God doesn't exist to serve us. We exist to serve Him
3) God listens to our prayers and ALWAYS answers them. When a child asks something of a parent the parent listens, considers the request, then answers yes, no, not right now, or I will give you what you really need even though you may not realize it right now.
Come on. Be consistent with your reasoning. It works just like a parent child relationship. We have no problem understanding and accepting this relationship with our earthly family. But them we get all hot and bothered when God ain't a Genie.
2006-12-02 03:50:19 · answer #1 · answered by yagman 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
There is more to prayer than just accomplishing something. It's part of God allowing us to take part in His work on Earth. Just like Mother Theresa (and those who follow her example) participate in the work of God.
I will say that it is difficult to perceive this until you enter in. Even as one who prays, if I get out of the habit of doing so, I simply do not understand as well as when I am praying.
As far as making excuses for Him, I don't think the idea of His sovereignty is really an excuse...if He is God, then He is God...not our servant to run around and do our bidding. There is no way to know if something "happened anyway" in the absence of divine intervention because we don't know what has transpired in the unseen realms. If we had to ask for every good thing we received, we wouldn't have time to live our lives. Just because we didn't ask for something good it doesn't mean that it didn't come from God.
I probably sound like I've been brainwashed to you. If you really want an answer to your question, the best thing for you to do is genuinely ask God this very question.
2006-12-02 04:04:35 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
God gives us free will. He also answers prayers in His own time. Often what you might ask for is not the best thing for you or He may have other plans for you. I have seen prayer answered many times and I have also had unanswered prayers but later realized that had He given me what I asked for I would not have the blessings I do now. He knows what is best. He is God and has a plan for all of us if we will only give Him the opportunity to show us the way. Not our will but His be done. Keep praying without ceasing and before you know it you also will be answered. Sometimes you just have to be patient.
2006-12-02 03:49:36 · answer #3 · answered by rose v 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My opinion is that God answers all prayers that are asked of him in a heartfelt manner. The trouble is many people ask things of him that are selfish in nature and do not like being told no. And there are others who are being told yes, but being asked to give him time to set up the correct conditions. People do not like that answer either. Then there are those prayers that are answered but not understood as they do not come in the form the asker was expecting. Everything is perception and understanding. Some of us simply need to listen more carefully to the message he is sending back to us.
2006-12-02 03:47:35 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I see that you don't understand God and how God works. Please allow me to share just a little of my knowledge with you..
It is easy to blame God for all thing. When mankind should spend a little more time just getting to know him. Many people can ask for selfish things in prayer, And it not like God does not hear him But being your true father he has the right to say no to selfish prayers.. As for why thank God when A good thing does happen Who can say that God did not plan this to happen for you in that certain way.. God is a very loving God, and if you are taught how to pray correctly I can assure you that your prayers will be answered a lot faster. Now another fact is even for people, Who attend Churches offten, They may have not been taught how to pray correctly, And God does say that if you come to me in prayer this is the way to do it. Now so many Churches just make up their own rules and pass those bad habits onto their congergation and how can they really know that maybe they are not praying in the correct way. And instead of blaming their Pastors for these error's no they blame God, And lets not forget that Satan is a very real and powerful enity. That can infulence mankind and do you really believe that satan will teach you anything in a correct manner that will lead you to God. There is not a chance of that happening. Jesus stated in the bible that the only way you can get to my father is thru me. So when you talk to the father you talk in my name........ So you should say that I pray to you father in the name of Jesus Christ, And tell our father your prayers.. Also Jesus said that when you pray to my father and truly have faith you prayers will be answered. Now how many people pray to our father and have total faith that God will answer their prayers. Not as many as you my believe....... So I say to you with this new found knowledge pray to our and see for yourself how quickly your prayers will be answered....... Stay in the fath and be well............
2006-12-02 04:20:44 · answer #5 · answered by kilroymaster 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God always answers prayers. But like a good Father, sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes the answer is wait. If your three-year old asked for a car (and you had the means to give him one) you'd say wait until you are old enough and experienced enough. You would not hand over the keys to a three-year old. If your child asked for an elephant, (unless you live somewhere you can actually use an elephant), you'd say no. If your child asked for an apple, you'd say yes, but at three, you'd probably cut it up into smaller pieces so he/she wouldn't choke, and you'd watch them as they ate it. God wants to give you things that are good for you. Sometimes, the things we think are good for us, are not really in our best interest. We don't see everything, only a small part, and often cannot truly judge what would be good for us.
2006-12-02 03:49:23 · answer #6 · answered by padwinlearner 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
perhaps because people pray for the wrong thing. GOD gave us intelligence to help solve our own problems. HE , therefore will help us if we ask HIS help if we are in need of assistance but only if we have exhausted every other means. HE may not answer right away as HE answers prayers " yes " -- " no " -- " wait a while. "
2006-12-02 04:20:57 · answer #7 · answered by Marvin R 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
God answers all prayers prayed in true faith. If he doesn't answer a prayer we think is in faith, that is because it is not in the faith he meant when He said "faith." Unanswered prayers are God's invitation for us to go back to the Bible and find out what God really means when He says, "have faith". But humans are lazy, and proud, and prone to deny that their faith did not "cut the mustard." So they make up excuses for why God did not answer the prayer they thought they prayed in true faith. It couldn't possibly be their fault that their prayer wasn't answered, don't ya know?
This answer, based in the Bible, is an especially hard pill to swallow, especially when I have to accept that my lack of true faith has caused my family member to suffer or die, for example. So compassionate preachers are partly to blame for the excuses, made up to shift the blame back onto God instead of making a suffering human to feel even worse. But accepting that our "faith" must not size up God's definition of the word, and going back to His Bible to try again to understand His requirement of real faith, is the only way we will ever figure out what God does mean by "have faith." If we just give up trying to have the faith he requires, and just blame Him instead, we will never receive all the blessings promised to those with real faith.
2006-12-02 04:10:58 · answer #8 · answered by Emmaean 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
God answers all prayers, you just have to listen for the answer. Have faith and he will guide you in the right direction. God gave us free will to make the decisions we face, He will point the way, but it is up to us, to choose the correct path. Good Luck to you. I hope this helped.
2006-12-02 03:47:55 · answer #9 · answered by Danelle 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
God answers every prayer, but sometimes His answer is no. He is not Santa Claus, He is God. People think that just because He doesn't give them everything they pray for, that He isn't answering their prayers. The fact is, I don't give my children everything they ask for. If I did, it would spoil them and make them ungrateful for the things I do give them. Also, they don't always ask for something that I think is good for them. God knows what you need and what you can handle. Trust Him to give you what He knows you can deal with.
2006-12-02 03:47:24 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋