hmmm
do you ever feel, at times, like the more you pray the worse things get?
hmmm… i wonder what that’s all about… anybody?
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do you ever feel, at times, like the more you pray the worse things get?
hmmm… i wonder what that’s all about… anybody?
June 25th, 2006 at 5:34 pm
Niza-
I once prayed for strength…….what was I thinking?!!!!!! I got blasted from every side with more & more junk. being the intelectual (sp duh) I realized that the Lord was providing the very training for the very prayer I asked and pleaded. gee thanks! now I go for the run-o-the-mill “peace; calm; mercy” it usually covers most things needed and He still sneaks in those lessons I need to heed! always be careful what we wish for because a God of all things is listening and just waiting to grant them for us. also, whatever it is that you and your family need, I’ll be praying for ya! God bless
June 25th, 2006 at 5:58 pm
Oh, yeah.
One of my favorite sayings the past few years has been, “it never rains, but it pours.”
I have all kinds of smart-alex-y remarks to add, but I’ll spare you my sardonic humor.
For now.
Instead I’ll say that one thing I learned through the last few years is that sometimes sh*t happens. And it happens all over us.
And then, sometimes, because we’re in such close communication to Jesus — talking to Him and also hearing Him talk to us — that the enemy of our souls gets so jealous he does all he can to separate us, to get us to stop talking to Jesus or stop listening to Him.
Okay, that was a little too deep for me tonight. I’m going back to watching “The 4400″.
June 25th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
Prayer is dangerous. You’re talking to the person who made the universe. He can do anything.
What gets lost in the pain and the asking to be broken again and again, and the assumption that we have to be smashed to bits so that God can rebuild us is that God has his own ways. Not only is he completely dedicated to making you perfect, but he knows exactly how to do it.
Another thing: he knows we need breaks. He also knows that I have a tendence to drift away, so he arranges things such that I need his touch every day.
So, yes, things do get worse. We have much to learn, and much of what we need to learn must come after unlearning the lies we’ve picked up through the years. Especially lies about God, and nothing teaches the truth of God better than needing him moment by moment.
June 25th, 2006 at 6:52 pm
When it rains, it pours. Just when I think that life cannot possible throw anything else at me, something else comes. I can only live on the feeble-hearted faith that God knows what He’s doing. Day by day I stumble along from moments of profound joy to moments of deep sorrow, trusting that it will all come to something in the end.
It will all come to good in the end.
-Krissy
June 26th, 2006 at 11:17 am
Whenever I hear those thoughts from someone else I think, don’t just pray for an answer Dean, be the answer. So girl, I want to know if there’s anything I can do. Write us, or call.
June 26th, 2006 at 11:22 am
Whoa, great point, Dean.
I second that, Niza. I may be far away, but I’ll do anything you need me to.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:43 pm
Hey Niza,
I think it’s time we connect again. We need to dream together and share ideas and breathe hope into each other’s lives.
When can we all get together?
June 26th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
Niza…I don’t have the answer; however, here are a couple of thoughts that came to mind. First, maybe you are praying for the wrong thing–wisdom, clarity, peace, patience, whatever. Maybe, no matter how much you want something, what you want is contrary to God’s plan. Or maybe, God wants to test your faith by not giving you this thing right away; but, if you are patient and faithful he will. Let me know if you get the answer…
June 26th, 2006 at 2:26 pm
Hey Niza -
Got your comment. I am sure Dean will call Alex back soon. He is counseling a few people today but should be done around 5PM.
I can’t wait to see you!
Today I was dreaming of living in Africa. Wanna come?
June 26th, 2006 at 8:48 pm
I’m helping! I’m helping you! (you gotta see the show this quote came from sometime!). Hope you can come stay with/near us SOON, and we can pour some lovin’ on ya! MUAH!!!!
June 26th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
Neez - I just wanted to say I LOVE YOU!
June 28th, 2006 at 9:24 am
i feel your pain. we’re in the middle of a jam ourselves.
we just started a new series at genesis called:
“yelling at God”
it may or may not be helpful- you can check it out at:
http://www.genesisdetroit.com click podcast
or
http://www.genesisthechurch.org
June 29th, 2006 at 9:52 am
I do….I prayed for changes in our family, in our household, in our careers, in our finances, and whammo - IT’S ALL CHANGING!
That doesn’t mean the changes are fun, but they ARE inspiring because somebody bigger than me knows all the moves…day to day I have no choice but to keep my eyes on HIM because if I look at us or our circumstances, I would drown in a sea of doubt/fear/crap.
Blessings,
V.
July 1st, 2006 at 3:29 pm
…hear you loud and clear…..i don’t understand god, maybe that’s the point he is trying to make?…….i honestly have no explanation for how you feel, i’m right there with you……..
November 20th, 2006 at 10:52 am
Don’t whether this applies to you, but it does to me — obedience is required, and prayer is only one part of obedience. Ps. 91 is available to everyone, but you have to be very obedient to receive it. Walk circumspectly. And sometimes, we think things are going badly when they’re not. Sometimes, when we’re attacked, it’s BECAUSE of our obedience to God, it’s the forces of darkness (demons and people who are being used by Satan) who are attacking us, and it’s an opportunity to kick down the gates of Hell and level spiritual strongholds. Obeying God is hard, but disobeying God is harder. - Henry Blackaby. But the whole truth is that obeying God isn’t hard at all. “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” - Jesus Christ, who is God. It just seems hard, maybe because when we do, we attract the bad guys. God bless!
March 20th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Hola Niza,
As usual in my blogospheric life, I’m wandering in late. Reading all the preceding comments, it’s interesting to see the different perspectives. Props to Dean Sharp for taking the conversation to the next step, that of healing.
Niza, if I hear you right, you are not marveling at the tendency of things to all break loose at once, as much as you are witnessing the awful and apparently rare phenomenon of “antiprayer.” This must be rare among christians because so many seem never to have experienced it. Either that or rationalize it away so well that the actual phenomenon is ignored or slips past in disguise.
It doesn’t slip by me. I have personally suffered from, and carefully studied, various attacks of “antiprayer”: when the rapid degeneration of a person or situation directly correlates with how earnestly, often and long you pray for them. Once I was planning to fast for someone’s healing but decided not to because, the way things had gone so far, me fasting for them might have killed them.
The good news: bouts of antiprayer, no matter how acute, confusing, or terrifying, don’t seem to last long. I treat them with strong doses of worship and the comfort of friends. I also recommend refraining from any normal sort of intercessory prayer for the duration of the phenomenon: for the sake of those for whom you pray, restrict yourself to “desperate humble surrender and submission to God”. Symptoms usually recede within ten days but sometimes linger for a couple of months.
Warning; when ignored, antiprayer greatly magnifies one’s ability to rationalize away the hard questions of life, preventing wisdom from taking root. But when honestly confronted and left untreated, antiprayer can lead to crippling despair. If you have the courage to look it in the face, seek help immediately.
-Dr. Nic, antiprayer survivor