Comments on: The Mystery of Unanswered Prayer http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/ You don't have to ask...it just comes. Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:32:30 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Unanswered Prayer http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-4095 Unanswered Prayer Sat, 24 Nov 2007 22:35:22 +0000 http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-4095 [...] The Mystery of Unanswered Prayer « Grits n’ Grace jesusprayer.jpgThe following is a summary of a sermon by Bill Hybels. Bill is the founding pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. [...] [...] The Mystery of Unanswered Prayer « Grits n’ Grace jesusprayer.jpgThe following is a summary of a sermon by Bill Hybels. Bill is the founding pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois. [...]

]]> By: Hatji http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-3722 Hatji Wed, 10 Oct 2007 07:55:22 +0000 http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-3722 Yes, you are all in the same territory where I live. We do not have the answers for all the hard cases. Fallen world, perverse sinful nature, groaning creation (groaning louder lately, it seems)-- all remind us that this is a temporary stop in a life that will only make sense in the light of eternity. David, the answer is not trite at all. To me, trite answers can only come from trite, simplistic (as opposed to simple) minds and hearts. You are not that. Perhaps the spiritual opposite of trite is sincere. Makes sense to me. And all of you who have replied here are sincere. That is my read. Yes, you are all in the same territory where I live. We do not have the answers for all the hard cases. Fallen world, perverse sinful nature, groaning creation (groaning louder lately, it seems)– all remind us that this is a temporary stop in a life that will only make sense in the light of eternity.

David, the answer is not trite at all. To me, trite answers can only come from trite, simplistic (as opposed to simple) minds and hearts. You are not that. Perhaps the spiritual opposite of trite is sincere. Makes sense to me. And all of you who have replied here are sincere. That is my read.

]]> By: faithwalk http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-3679 faithwalk Thu, 20 Sep 2007 05:39:05 +0000 http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-3679 This is a hard one for sure, and Graham's response was good. The Father understands,He gave His only Son to die for a world that continually rejected Him. I have lost many people I love; some tragically. Why some suffer so terribly is a mystery. All I can think of is that it is part of living a fallen world. I know that Gods ways are not our ways. He sees death far differently for " precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His beloved". Perhaps it is His eternal perspective that this life is but a grain of sand in comparison to eternity. We do not die, but go from a very brief life where there is sorrow, sickness and pain, to one that if perfect. Where there is no suffering, there are no tears...where we love and are loved completely, perfectly, forever. I join in the prayer that our times of heartache and sorrow will only draw us closer to God, trusting in His Sovereignty and being comforted by His great love, and hope we can all grasp at least in part, the glory and wonder of the life that awaits us in heaven with Christ. Blessings and grace to you always David, Susan ps I lost my entire blogroll and just discovered when it was restored it was not complete and you were gone! :-( Hopefully you're back on there now! This is a hard one for sure, and Graham’s response was good.
The Father understands,He gave His only Son to die for a world that continually rejected Him.
I have lost many people I love; some tragically.
Why some suffer so terribly is a mystery. All I can think of is that it is part of living a fallen world.

I know that Gods ways are not our ways. He sees death far differently for ” precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His beloved”.
Perhaps it is His eternal perspective that this life is but a grain of sand in comparison to eternity. We do not die, but go from a very brief life where there is sorrow, sickness and pain, to one that if perfect. Where there is no suffering, there are no tears…where we love and are loved completely, perfectly, forever.
I join in the prayer that our times of heartache and sorrow will only draw us closer to God, trusting in His Sovereignty and being comforted by His great love, and hope we can all grasp at least in part, the glory and wonder of the life that awaits us in heaven with Christ.

Blessings and grace to you always David,
Susan

ps I lost my entire blogroll and just discovered when it was restored it was not complete and you were gone! :-(
Hopefully you’re back on there now!

]]> By: Anna http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-3672 Anna Tue, 18 Sep 2007 19:24:55 +0000 http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-3672 I have a son with severe disabilities and I wrote a blog post recently about dealing with unanswered prayer for him. I don't know if it exactly meets the case, but here is what God is teaching me: http://annayoda.wordpress.com/2007/08/28/eagerly-watch/ I have a son with severe disabilities and I wrote a blog post recently about dealing with unanswered prayer for him. I don’t know if it exactly meets the case, but here is what God is teaching me: http://annayoda.wordpress.com/2007/08/28/eagerly-watch/

]]> By: Input please… « Grits n’ Grace http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-3671 Input please… « Grits n’ Grace Tue, 18 Sep 2007 15:20:11 +0000 http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-3671 [...] 18th, 2007 by David A recent visitor posed a question in response to my post titled The Mystery of Unanswered Prayer. It’s a tough question for me to answer because the response can seem trivial, hollow or [...] [...] 18th, 2007 by David A recent visitor posed a question in response to my post titled The Mystery of Unanswered Prayer. It’s a tough question for me to answer because the response can seem trivial, hollow or [...]

]]> By: David http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-3670 David Tue, 18 Sep 2007 15:02:54 +0000 http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-3670 Hi Hatji, Thanks for your comments. The question you ask is very hard indeed. I have asked questions like yours many times. Honestly, I do not know how I would react if I was in a situation like that with one of my children. One of the most heartbreaking and often times faith-killing things that can happen to a parent is to lose a child. I simply can't imagine what that feels like and I pray I never will. I would like to think that I would turn to God for comfort rather than blame Him and turn away from Him. I do not want to sound hollow or trite in my response, but I will do the best that I know how. It's only been over the last several years that I've come to appreciate the faith and wisdom of Billy Graham. I used to think he was just another televangelist looking to make a buck, but I could not have been more wrong. I'm recalling what he said about grief and how God understands. "God knows what it is like to lose a Son. People often react in one of two ways. Some get angry at God and blame Him for causing it. They can't understand how God could have let it happen, and they decide He must not love them or care about them and many will turn away from Him. Others, however, turn toward God when tragedy strikes. No, they may not understand why it happened, but they know they need special strength—and they find it in God. They discover what Christians throughout the ages have discovered, that God truly is "the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles" (2 Corinthians 1:4). Pray that they will sense their need of God and turn to Him. Assure them that you care, and that you understand their hurt, but then gently encourage them to turn to Christ. God loves them, and bitterness and anger only cut them off from His comfort. We may never understand some of the things that happen to us in life, but "the eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27). " I hope this helps. There are others who can probably answer this question far better than I can, so I am going to open it up to them for their thoughts. God's peace and blessings, David. Hi Hatji,

Thanks for your comments. The question you ask is very hard indeed. I have asked questions like yours many times. Honestly, I do not know how I would react if I was in a situation like that with one of my children. One of the most heartbreaking and often times faith-killing things that can happen to a parent is to lose a child. I simply can’t imagine what that feels like and I pray I never will. I would like to think that I would turn to God for comfort rather than blame Him and turn away from Him.

I do not want to sound hollow or trite in my response, but I will do the best that I know how. It’s only been over the last several years that I’ve come to appreciate the faith and wisdom of Billy Graham. I used to think he was just another televangelist looking to make a buck, but I could not have been more wrong. I’m recalling what he said about grief and how God understands.

“God knows what it is like to lose a Son. People often react in one of two ways. Some get angry at God and blame Him for causing it. They can’t understand how God could have let it happen, and they decide He must not love them or care about them and many will turn away from Him.

Others, however, turn toward God when tragedy strikes. No, they may not understand why it happened, but they know they need special strength—and they find it in God. They discover what Christians throughout the ages have discovered, that God truly is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles” (2 Corinthians 1:4).

Pray that they will sense their need of God and turn to Him. Assure them that you care, and that you understand their hurt, but then gently encourage them to turn to Christ. God loves them, and bitterness and anger only cut them off from His comfort. We may never understand some of the things that happen to us in life, but “the eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27). ”

I hope this helps. There are others who can probably answer this question far better than I can, so I am going to open it up to them for their thoughts.

God’s peace and blessings,
David.

]]> By: hatji http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-3669 hatji Tue, 18 Sep 2007 05:53:11 +0000 http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-3669 I think the prayers of the type Hybels mentioned, and the answers he proposes that God gives, are relatively easily understood. The difficult ones for many of us are the prayers for those things Jesus regularly did while on earth-- thing he continued to do by His Spirit through his servants. Particularly healing. James 5 is so unequivocal on this: sick call, confess their sins, elders pray, healing happens! And sometimes it does. SOMETIMES. It doesn't seem that it happened every time for the apostles and early church people either. So, could I ask: "What do you tell a broken hearted mother or father when their child goes through a long, grueling illness, eventually dying?" What answer do you give that does not sound hollow or like sterile theology? I know what I try to say, but I would like to hear your responses. I will check back. (American, 60, serving God in Malaysia. Married. Joyful dad and grandfather ) I think the prayers of the type Hybels mentioned, and the answers he proposes that God gives, are relatively easily understood. The difficult ones for many of us are the prayers for those things Jesus regularly did while on earth– thing he continued to do by His Spirit through his servants. Particularly healing. James 5 is so unequivocal on this: sick call, confess their sins, elders pray, healing happens! And sometimes it does. SOMETIMES. It doesn’t seem that it happened every time for the apostles and early church people either. So, could I ask: “What do you tell a broken hearted mother or father when their child goes through a long, grueling illness, eventually dying?” What answer do you give that does not sound hollow or like sterile theology? I know what I try to say, but I would like to hear your responses. I will check back.

(American, 60, serving God in Malaysia. Married. Joyful dad and grandfather )

]]> By: Shirley http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-3344 Shirley Thu, 23 Aug 2007 20:49:05 +0000 http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-3344 Excellent. Real trust in God have nothing to do with the outcome of our prayers. He is God. He is sovereign. I bless His name. Shirley Buxton www.shirleybuxton.wordpress.com Excellent. Real trust in God have nothing to do with the outcome of our prayers. He is God. He is sovereign. I bless His name.

Shirley Buxton
http://www.shirleybuxton.wordpress.com

]]> By: Stef http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-2946 Stef Thu, 16 Aug 2007 23:55:10 +0000 http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-2946 Great post, David. My prayers with God lately have been kinda all over the board. He is teaching me "slow" as I would like some answers to why I am on my journey. Not yet is what I am getting back and that is ok. Thanks for posting this. I appreciate the insight. Stef Great post, David. My prayers with God lately have been kinda all over the board. He is teaching me “slow” as I would like some answers to why I am on my journey. Not yet is what I am getting back and that is ok. Thanks for posting this. I appreciate the insight.
Stef

]]> By: Nikki http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-2882 Nikki Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:23:20 +0000 http://gritsngrace.wordpress.com/2007/08/14/the-mystery-of-unanswered-prayer/#comment-2882 Your site came up with I Googled for "God... says... go... slow... no..." and THANK YOU for the highlights. Allow me to link you up with my blog and share this beautiful message about prayer to many more people. Cheers! Your site came up with I Googled for “God… says… go… slow… no…” and THANK YOU for the highlights. Allow me to link you up with my blog and share this beautiful message about prayer to many more people. Cheers!

]]>