Christians, have you ever asked god to stop blessing you?

Question

All of you are lucky enough to have internet access, so I'm assuming you aren't starving or anything. I assume your basic needs are met.

So have you ever asked god to take away the blessings that he gives you and give them to, say, a child who is being abused by his parents? Or a starving mother in a third world country?

I know the bible says that god can provide infinite blessings, but his track record clearly shows that he chooses who to bless and who not to. So have you ever thought about asking god to quit blessing you and start blessing someone who is in more need than you are?

Please tell me how a child who is beaten to death by his parents, the only people in the world he is supposed to be able to trust, is blessed.

Nikki -- what about people who do follow god, and still don't receive blessings?

Answer 1

I was teaching down in Oklahoma. In class a kid -- well, I taught at a university so I should say young man -- was telling a story about how he'd had a motorcycle accident and slid off the road. Cars passed without seeing him. A wolf appeared and noticed him and started for him when a car suddenly pulled over and scared it away. He had 4 broken bones. He concluded his story with, "I'm just glad Jesus was watching out for me."

I thought but did not say: Seems like Jesus was trying to kill you!

Yeah, sometimes I bet in times of real misery, they say things like -- God, will you stop paying such attention to me, please.

Answer 2

God has blessed me I will agree, but no I have never asked God to take away any of the blessings he has given me. However I do try to bless those less fortunate than I am with some of my abundance. I often wonder if the 100,000 richest people in the world would give 10% of all thay had to stop hunger if there would be plenty for those who are starving to eat. But for me just a simple working man to give all that I have wouldnt keep many from starving but I also know my 10% that I tithe, when added to the rest who tithe, add up to many who are taken care of.

Answer 3

Hee, hee...

Our relative comfort and prosperity can more accurately be attributed to tangible, measurable things than to an intangible magical being. Science, technology and screwing the less fortunate parts of the world. Many of these things happen without our knowledge, input or directly taking part, so many could make the mistake of attributing it to a magical deity.

We are blessed by the strengths, creativity, cruelty and history that formed our own society. Many others are not so fortunate.

The same question could fairly be directed at us atheists, but in a more tangible way. Rather than imaginary telepathic pleading (praying) for the intervention of whatever god(dess) to help those less fortunately, we should try to do things that mitigate the worst excesses of our society abusing others. It's in our hands to make the world a better place.

Answer 4

Wow.......it sounds like someone has some bitter resentments towards Christians! I don't blame you actually, because most of us are not great examples!
What you're saying does make a bit of sense but there's that whole freedom of choice thing which confounds things and there are consequences to people's choices. In a perfect world there would be no sin. Guess what? News flash! There is sin. You seem like one of the good people so you are on your way. Of course God uses people to help the poor and abused children all over the world. He will even use you because you have a good heart and all good things come from God. Millions of missionaries are sent worldwide, but you know this already. You are right, with your help more can be done to bring about God's will! :)

Answer 5

God, Almighty God, is a TOO MUCH God. He loves to bless His children. If we would let Him He would bless us so much there would not be room enough on this planet to contain it.
Mal 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].
Psa 35:27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
I Cr 13;8a

Answer 6

I'm a christian. I know what you mean. Seriously. I'm sorry for all the nutters out there. I'm probably one myself. But... I do have to say that imposing morality on others is what happens in democracy. The majority's morality is enforced on the whole. I mean, yeah, there's freedom, but within the majority's chosen bounds, otherwise God knows what pedophiles etc would be doing. So in a democratic context I think Christians doing this (enforcing morality, not being a pedofile!) is okay. However, enforcing our christian morality on others by other means is wrong. So I'm sorry. Also, damning people for not believing in our religion: The bible tells us that Jesus is the only way to heaven. So by "damning you" for not believing, we're just sticking by the good book. Whether that's made up to increase conversion, or the truth - that's the individual's decision. I do have to point out that America was founded by extremist christians being persecuted by staid Christians. I'm sure that's what you meant but you make it sound as though it was founded by atheists. Not that I care, I'm Australian. You say that we should "feel free" to believe in the bible. But very few 'atheists' practice this. "Not all atheists, but the majority are bent on offending christians and imposing their morals on them." So my point is: I'm seriously sorry for our extreme ways. We do it cos we think we're right. But many atheists are also VERY offensive, e.g. they attack me personally purely on the basis of religion when I don't even know them. Enforce their morality on me. Damn me for believing in God. Because they think they're right. Seesh...Democracy is the only hope, ay pacha?

Answer 7

God's capacity to bless is not limited. I mean there are no quantity limits to God's ability. He is limited only by mankind's choices.

Asking God to take away my blessing will not cause someone else's suffering to be diminished, therefore it would be fruitless to ask such a thing. On the contrary, it is by the blessings God has given me that I am able to bless others.
Example: When I am rooted and grounded in God's love for me, I am able to bless others by loving them as God has loved me. Or, take material blessings, when I have in abundance I am able to share the blessing with others.

It it out of the abundance of God's blessings to us that we in turn are able to reach out and bless others. You can't give what you don't have.

The apostle Paul did express a longing that he himself be acursed that his people, the Jewish people, could know salvation instead. He was expressing his deep desire that his people, the Jewish people, be blessed with salvation in his place. Then basically says, "if that were possible." That was like saying here's my heart for my people. I'm willing to sacrifice my blessing for them, but it's not really possible to do that.

It is difficult to see masses of people in severe need when you are so blessed. I know the feeling. The best way to really help them is to be filled up with God's blessings yourself, so you can give away and bless others with what has been so freeely given to you.

As for the child beaten to death by parents... That is so sad...
God blessed those parents with one of his biggest blessings, a child, and they killed the blessing. What a tragedy! Sin is so cruel and heartless. It destroys so much of what God meant for GOOD.

How was the child blessed? I don't know... This I do know, I was abused as a child. God did not cause it, but he is redeeming those painful experiences in my life. The evil I experienced as a child has made me hungry for good, God's goodness, it is so different that what I knew as a child. For the child that died, I will trust in God's goodness to make right the evil done to the child.

Answer 8

The people that did ask God to do that, would not be able to answer you, because they don't have Internet anymore.

About the child beaten to death by his parents: The child will live again in Paradise.

Answer 9

God doesn't need to stop blessing one person to give more blessings to another. He doesn't have a set number of blessings to hand out each month or something. And the more he blesses me, the more I can help others. So no, I'm very happy to keep accepting everything that he gives.

Also you say it's very clear he chooses who to bless and who not to, but I don't think that's right either. As a nurse I've seen people who are sick, dying, poor or abandoned by their families but still able to recognize that God blessed them in some other way. Just because you don't see that a particular person is blessed doesn't mean that they can't see it.

Answer 10

Yes, a long time ago because I didn't feel worthy of the blessings He was putting on my life at the time. However, I'm not sure that a prayer such as this is a good idea.