Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You need to look at those verses in context. If you are doing his will, and ask for something, it will be granted.
Apparently it's not his will that you be granted the things you're asking for.
I think if you look at my comment, you will see that I said..'In accordance with his will.'
So every Christian who is 'doing his will' has every request granted. That is what you stated...'If you are doing his will....and you ask for something....it WILL be granted!'
Why do Christians then say they dont always get what they pray for? Is God a liar?
no, because it states, ........."And all things, whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive."..Matthew 21:22 if there is one bit of you that dont beleive he can do it , I suppose it wont be done...100% faith is trusting he will do it. ....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ringwielder
I think if you look at my comment, you will see that I said..'In accordance with his will.'
So every Christian who is 'doing his will' has every request granted. That is what you stated...'If you are doing his will....and you ask for something....it WILL be granted!'
Why do Christians then say they dont always get what they pray for? Is God a liar?
Last edited by philly750; 04-16-2009 at 10:12 PM..
Reason: type crappy
sin causes death, no matter what, God took the child, because God had much better for him, than the future might have offfered
Quote:
Originally Posted by SouthernBoi
Moderator cut: Deleted out of respect to member being quoted/referenced.
If god was just, merciful or even loving than the opposite would be true. What kind of god would set the path of an innocent boy to go through something like that? That is truely sadistic any way you cut it and I will have no part of worshiping someone like that, as there is absolutly NO JUSTIFICATION for that, and stuff like that happens all the time in this world... Moderator cut: deleted out of respect to member being referenced.
An AP story reported this week on the MSNBC website noted that 57% of Americans believe that, in response to prayer, god sometimes intervenes to save the lives of terminally ill patients. Twenty percent of physicians/health care workers also believe that "God could reverse a hopeless outcome." Of course, the article mentioned nothing about recent scientific tests of the efficacy of third party prayer on health and recovery, data which might have placed these beliefs in some sort of reality anchored context. Oh well.
But there is another angle on the god-answers-prayers belief that I find interesting. About 92% of Americans believe in some sort of god, mostly the conventional Judeo-Christian one. There is an awful lot of praying going on. In fact, I think you would be hard-pressed to find an accident victim or terminally ill patient in the US who is not prayed for by someone, and these prayers, I would bet, usually are pleas for recovery. That is, I doubt that people pray simply that god's "will be done", which would then permit the conclusion that the absence of a miracle is "god's will", part of his secret plan. No, I think people come right out and beg god to spare the lives of people they love.
So if, for the sake of argument, we say that the 57% in this poll are correct, that there is a god, that he/she hears prayers, and that he is powerful enough to effect miracle cures, then the interesting question is, why does he ignore so many prayers? Because one thing we know for sure, death is occurring at a predictably high rate. Terminally ill patients, prayed for or not, almost always die from their disease. And people continue to die in senseless, tragic, heart breaking ways.
Again, accepting the premise of the 57%, what kind of god would respond in such a stingy, seemingly capricious way? I think that believers let god off the hook by saying that, you know, he acts in mysterious ways. Your loved one dies a horrible, agonizing death, despite your prayers, and you think, well, in ways that I can't understand, it's part of god's good plan. Some plan. Or, some say something like, god is not just loving but a cruel and angry god (more real world evidence for that, I think), and like a good parent, he punishes us when we need to learn something important. He let my child drown to get my attention, to get me spiritually on track. Too many sick ideas in that belief to mention.
So, what can we infer about a god who obviously fails to answer so many prayers? What's going on with him? Any thoughts?
I obviously have too much free time today.
God does not "fail" to answer, but He very often refuses to answer. Here's why:
God is not obligated to answer ANY prayer from anyone who entertains ANY sin in their lives.
"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts".
And:
"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; Neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear"
People don't want to hear that God isn't willing to "overlook" their sins and answer their prayers anyway, but that's the way it is. What will you offer God, in return for an answered prayer? Well, how about giving up sin? That's the one thing that works. It really is a choice: you can give up sin (I don't mean you specifically...I mean anyone reading this reply), and have God begin to answer your prayers, or keep those "secret" sins in our lives, and have God continue to ignore your prayers...
And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son (John 14:13).
· If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you (John 15:7).
· Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full (John 16:27).
So if God's words 'abide in anyone' ask WHATEVER you wish, 'and it shall be done for you.' !
But according to BUDinAk there is a rider here....
Quote:
God is not obligated to answer ANY prayer from anyone who entertains ANY sin in their lives.
Well that gets God out of having to abide by the first Scripture because 'All have sinned' and will continue to do so until they die.
So God promises to give us anything we ask for according to his will and in faith but on the other hand says I have the right to refuse you, because you are all sinners.
Why make those statements in the first place?
I prayed to him many times in faith and asked for things according to his will, i.e stronger faith, strength to deal with problems in life etc... He never 'did it for me' and I didnt 'receive'. My own experiences tell me that those Scriptures are not true.
What kind of God doesnt answer prayers? The kind that makes empty promises. The kind that doesnt deserve my respect or worship.
Another reason God fails to answer prayers is that there isn't a God and prayers are just thought like any other thoughts.
Sorry, just thought I would inject a little reality here. Now you can go back to your brain-reading super-God talk.
For those who don't believe in God, you're half-right: those who serve God must believe that He is. You can't be a non-believer, and expect Him to answer a prayer from you. Like: "God, I don't believe in you. You don't exist. But, please gimmee a new Mercedes-Benz anyway. Ok?"
For those who don't believe in God, you're half-right: those who serve God must believe that He is. You can't be a non-believer, and expect Him to answer a prayer from you. Like: "God, I don't believe in you. You don't exist. But, please gimmee a new Mercedes-Benz anyway. Ok?"
Bud
Well, praying to God is no more effective than praying to me.
Even if the bible says one can pray and move mountains, one can no more move a mountain by praying to God then they can by praying to Boxcar.
There may be some therapeutic value to prayer, but there's not much more to it than that.
Question: Name me one thing you can do with prayer to God that you can't do with prayer to me.
The magic, invisible, middle eastern sky-giant type, maybe?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
....
What kind of God fails to answer prayers?
