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» Christian Message Boards   » Prayer   » Prayer Request   » I was just wondering.........

   
Author Topic: I was just wondering.........
Betty Lou
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Member # 6713

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I have no health insurance and I have OA. We recently moved and I needed to find a doctor that is willing to work with me so that I don't have to go to see her/him more then 2X a year to stay on my medication. I prayed that God would help me find one and He did. Also, the medication was more expensive at the Sam's on this part of town, and the lady at the pharmacy suggested I apply for a free Washington card that would help me with my medication. The first time I used it, it cut my price in half. I know that God was looking out for me and He does answer prayers.
betty

Posts: 35 | From: Washington State | Registered: Aug 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
steviedvm
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Dear Gentile,
Your letter touched me. It brought to mind the words of wisdom which I have recently read in my Women's Devotional Bible NIV. There are various comments interspersed throughout the text, one in particular that addresses the feelings that you are sharing. The commentator, Gigi Graham Tchividjian writes the following regarding a stormy day in her life. - Jesus had had a busy day. Helping, healing, and teaching, he was surrounded constantly by people. Now it was evening. As Jesus gazed out over the peaceful blue of Lake Galilee, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side" (Mark 4:35). They set out in a small boat and soon Jesus fell asleep. While he was resting, a powerful storm arose. The waves beat against the sides of the ship, filling it with water. The disciples were afraid and cried out to him, saying, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" Jesus got up and looked out over the sea. He saw the waves and felt the wind and said, "Quiet! Be still!". And all was calm again. Then he turned to his disciples, "Why do you have so little faith?" (Mark 4:35-41, paraphrased). Ms. Tchividjian goes on to write that storms arise in our lives, too. A telephone call brings sudden jolting news. A letter brings disappointment. A child has an accident. A small pain develops into a serious illness. Death...divorce...financial reverses.. Or maybe the source of distress is just the everyday pressures and tensions that build and build until the thunderhead erupts into a storm. She states that she, too, has had her share of storms. Some have been brief afternoon showers. Others have been caused by tensions that have built up, threatening her serenity and peace. Still others have burst into her life suddenly, hitting hard and leaving in their wake damage and debris. Like the disciples she had been afraid and cried out, "Lord, don't you care?" Dear Gentile, who among us have not felt this way? Ms. Tchividjian goes on to write...And later, when all is calm again, she hears him say, "Gigi, why do you have so little faith?" He has never promised a life free from storms, but he has promised to be with us in the midst of them and to bring us safely to the other side if we believe in him and rely on him. Dear Gentile, God knows your needs, please trust Him.

Posts: 5 | Registered: Aug 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
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Gentile, I know where you are coming from. I know what it is like to pray and pray with fervency and faith, but hear no reply and sense no presence. I've had many, many losses in my life, and have been down the path you are on in many ways. The only advice I can give you is to stay in the fray with God. Cry out to him. Shout and Him and shake your fist at him if you must. Read the Psalms and the book of Job and see how it's done. These were people who weren't afraid to be real with God. THe worst thing you could do would be to slink away. God will take even your most angry prayers and worst situations and use them for your good and His glory -- that is as long as you don't walk away. He may not restore you to $10,000 a month, but I can guarantee, through the witness of teh Bible, through my own experience and the experience of everyone I know who has been through similar situations, if you hang tough with God, you will see His goodness.
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oneinchrist
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Member # 6532

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Hi gentile,
Here are some misconceptions about God:

When things are going well it means he cares
and
When things are not going well it means He dont care

Here is truth:

We can be rich and on top of the world, but if we have not Christ, we have nothing

We can be poor and at the bottom of a pit, but if we have Christ , we have everything.

Its not that God don't care. Its that His cares are more for our souls than they are for our financial stability. Please dont be tempted to look at your situation as a sign that God dont care. Please dont tell me that you have to make so much money a month or you cant survive. I know that you may not like to hear this, but you may have to be willing to face loss. If you cant face it, then you may not have your priorities in order. You are hanging on too strong to this world and its values, and the Lord really isnt #1 in your life. That could definitely account for unanswered prayer.

With love in Christ, Daniel

Posts: 1389 | From: Wind Lake, WI | Registered: May 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator
gentile
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How many people on these boards, REALLY & TRUELY, pray to God and actually have these prayers answered, EVER??

At one point in my life I was extremely God fearing. Not in a bad way, like I only believed in God because I feared that if I didn't I would go to hell, etc.. It was the opposite. I really believed in God and always lived my life that way. I've never treated anyone in anyway other than respectful. I tried to help any person I saw, heard of, or knew of that needed it. It could be money, food, shelter, or anything else. I prayed to God a lot - to thank him, to praise him, etc.

Lately, however, I'm starting to not believe there is a God. I hope I am wrong but I have been unemployed for 2 months now. 2 months!! Ever since I was laid off I have prayed to God, numerous times a day, that I find a job. Please understand, I NEVER pray for myself. I never ask God to help me. But I had to seem selfish this time around because going from making $10,000 per month to nothing hurts. I'm now almost 60 days late on my house payment, car payment, a deed of trust for a piece of land I am purchasing, credit cards, personal loan and basic everyday utilities. Yet, after probably 100 resume's sent, I am still jobless. I've become a complete loser and God has done NOTHING to assist me. Lately, EVERYTHING I pray to God about either gets worse or doesn't change for thr positive at all. It is much deeper than this but I do not want to bore everyone with specifics.

I am losing my faith very quickly. I am finding it hard to believe there is a God out there that cares nothing about me especially because, in my own opinion, I think I have been a very good person.

I guess my question is.....how do you keep your faith when God is not doing anything to help?? The reason I ask is because I know I would be better off on this earth doing things that may not be approved by God. I could easily make a lot of money, starting tomorrow, and be right back on track and catch up on bills, and bring everything current quite quickly but it may not be very 'Christian'. Friends of mine that run money for bookies, do drop offs, do pick ups, etc make more money than I was making working 8-5 Monday thru Friday. I'm starting to ask myself why, in Gods name, I do not do this myself. Is there really a God??? Is it worth being miserable in life just because we were taught that a God is watching us and judging us? I am hoping to get some feedback and some other's experiences on this. As stated, I'm almost out of Faith. I'm finally asking for personal assistance, like help getting a good job again, and I feel like God can care less about me as he watched me begin to lose my car, house, and credit rating.

Posts: 1 | From: Newport Beach, California | Registered: Sep 2007  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator


 
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