Anyone had any prayers granted (*)

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*That were undeniably divine in nature (cured of untreatable illnesses, physical blessings, etc.)?

There’s something I’ve been praying about for nearly a year straight with no changes to the situation. I need encouragement because I can feel my faith and resolve slipping.
 
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We don’t pray to change God’s mind. But He is always there, listening, preparing to engage you.
 
I don’t know what God’s intention is in regards to my prayer, but I want to believe that perhaps my perseverance will be met with the granted intention (like with Job, Abraham, etc.)

That’s why I made this thread. I don’t know if it’s worth fighting for anymore. Part of me wants to believe that “if only I keep trying” etc… However, given the amount of time that’s passed, I’m honestly unsure if my prayers are being taken seriously. I’ve probably never been this bitter before.
 
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Yes, we had an unlikely healing in our family (not an impossible healing, so it doesn’t rise to the level of a miracle, but a lot of people don’t get healed from this condition).

That being said, I know about pain and fear and bitterness. All these feelings are natural and normal.
And please understand that God doesn’t hold out on us the way we humans play games with each other.

I don’t know why God allows a healing for one person and not another.
But I do know that He suffered on Earth, everything we do.

I’ll remember you in my prayers
 
I hear you. For me what contributes to the limbo feeling is conflicting sayings and advice. Things like never give up, persevere versus surrender it to God and stop nagging about what you want. I do not know which advice to follow. Give up or keep on?

And of course when you hear people oh I prayed this or that novena and received what I ask for. And when it doesn’t happen to you, you wonder if there is somehting weong with you, which is not the case.

Maybe like someone said, if God wants it to happen it will happen no matter how hard you try to prevent it. But if it is not God’s active will or maybe even permissive will, iw would not happen no matter how hard you try to make it happen.

I have intentions that I have been praying for for several years now. I am ok with God saying no. After all, the absence of what I am asking for is my current or present state. What is difficult is not knowing whether what I am asking for would happen or not.

…but I am still praying for them and trying to remain helpful. I admit that I am tired and exhausted. And tthings like is this even worth doing oe am I just wasting my time would come up from time to time.
 
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Also, I don’t want to sound like Little Miss Pollyanna, but the whole ordeal made me a more compassionate person.

And now I’m in the thick of a new crisis, and praying for another unlikely healing.
No, it’s not a bed of Roses 😏

Something that helped me (FWIW) was to read the book of Job. Because although I didn’t have control over the situation, I had some serious decisions to make about how I was going to face this crisis.
 
Sometimes I think about Job’s story in the midst of my suffering, however, for as great as Job’s struggle and triumph was, I feel like he may have lost part of his identity through it. “Job” is a metaphor in modern times, and is a perfect example of the man becoming secondary to that which he represents. When thinking about my life from an objective standpoint, I am often troubled because I don’t want my “story” to end up like his.

The blessing that I’m trying to achieve is primarily altruistic in nature. I want it for the sake of myself and others, however, if I have to wait until old age to get it, it will have expired in usefulness. This is where I believe my fear and bitterness stem from: The question of “How can God deny me something even if it’s good?”. I’ve been devout in my faith through thick and thin. I held fast even through the scrutiny and vitriol I’d get for my beliefs and I can’t even get one prayer granted that can help others?

With that said, one good thing has come of this. I used to have a strong sense of purpose back then, almost to the point of recklessness. When I was younger, people used to constantly tell me that God had great plans for my life, and I let their words of encouragement mutate into a source of pride. After being forced to endure these months of silence, however, I have found that this spirit of vanity has vanished from my life, however not without taking part of my faith with it.

More so than my prayer being denied, I’m scared that I’ll end up like Job: having access to my full potential only at the end of my life, rather than the beginning. I don’t want to only have to means to aid people when my corporeal form has withered to irrelevance. I don’t want to be useless in the grand scheme until the last second, but ultimately, God’s will be done.

Tl;dr - I don’t want this blessing which I seek for the beginning to become the Endgame™.
 
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ForumPoster said:
There’s something I’ve been praying about for nearly a year straight with no changes to the situation. I need encouragement because I can feel my faith and resolve slipping.
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In His way He will always answers our prayers, often not in the way we desire and hope for. He does this in the best interests of our souls, most particularly for the salvation of our souls.

He will not grant any prayer that will harm our souls, or the souls of those whom we pray for.
 
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How can you tell the difference between a prayer being granted and a coincidence?
 
OP, you need to accept the possibility that God’s will might be different from whatever you’re praying for. You can keep praying for what you want, but you have to always add, “if it be Your will, Lord” and maybe ask that if it is not God’s will for him to show you another way.

Having other people post about miracles is not going to be helpful for you.
ForumPoster said:
More so than my prayer being denied, I’m scared that I’ll end up like Job: having access to my full potential only at the end of my life, rather than the beginning. I don’t want to only have to means to aid people when my corporeal form has withered to irrelevance
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I think you missed the point of the Job story. Big time. Job had his full potential all through the story, including when he had lost all of his earthly blessings, because he had faith in God. That was worth more than anything else Job had.

Are you praying for some kind of job or money to “help people”? If so, consider the fact that God might want you to “help people” in a different way. You can also “help people” right now by praying for them, being kind to them, etc. You don’t need to get something in order to help people.

If God wants to give you some blessing, he will do it when he thinks it’s good for you to have it. If that’s not until your old age, then God would have a reason for that. You need to trust God more and try to discern his actual will for you which might not be whatever you’re praying about.
 
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Maybe you’re doing more good in the world than you realize—maybe this suffering is changing you in ways so that you’re a blessing to people and don’t lnow it.
The situations you’re now in? Maybe your younger self, if not being refined by these trials, would have made the situation way worse. But with what you know now, you’re responding with grace and sowing seeds for the future.

I totally get wanting to see the results now. Again, that’s totally normal and natural and there’s nothing wrong with that. But don’t dismiss your prayer life and good example out of hand because you’re not seeing the fruits of it.

(Yeah I know easy for me to say 😏)
 
Sometimes, the answer to your prayer is no. But that doesn’t mean that we should pout and give up on God. He is not a vending machine where we put in enough prayers, said correctly, over a period of time and we get what we want. Sometimes, other people’s free will stands in the way of us receiving what God wishes for us. Other times, we just will never understand why our prayers get answered or not.

"Until God opens the door, praise him in the hallway."
 
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It’s never wrong to pray for the highest good for all.

The balance is to never stop interceding for others, while not becoming panicked or allow superstition to creep into our prayer.
 
There is a dangerous school of thought that creeps into the Catholic world. It is know as the “Prosperity Gospel” “Health and Wealth”, etc. This convinces people that if one has enough faith, if one prays the “right way” that God will grant your wishes.

Every prayer is taken seriously, however, every request in prayer requires what Christ taught us to pray: “if it be Your will” or “not my will but yours be done”.

Prayer is about communicating with God, it changes us.

I would suggest Fr Dubay’s books on prayer and Fr Groeschel’s books:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0030FQOT8/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

https://www.amazon.com/Tears-God-Fr-Benedict-Groeschel/dp/1586172891
 
ForumPoster said:
However, given the amount of time that’s passed, I’m honestly unsure if my prayers are being taken seriously. I’ve probably never been this bitter before.
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ForumPoster said:
The blessing that I’m trying to achieve is primarily altruistic in nature. I want it for the sake of myself and others, however, if I have to wait until old age to get it, it will have expired in usefulness. This is where I believe my fear and bitterness stem from: The question of “How can God deny me something even if it’s good?”
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If not having this “altruistic” intention answered affirmatively is causing you this degree of bitterness, that you would lose your faith, it may be time to do some reflection on the motivations behind your intention. Would being altruistic cause you to be proud of your accomplishments, to be honored by others, to have others look to your greatness instead of God’s blessings?

“God, please let me win the lottery so I can establish a philanthropic organization to do good.”

🤔

Well, sure that sounds good. But perhaps God would prefer I not rely on material wealth instead of Him. Perhaps He would prefer to allow others to participate in charitable acts from their need, instead of from their want. Perhaps God knows I am doing exactly the little works He wants from me in the day-to-day activities and interactions of being a teacher. Perhaps my well-reasoned and insightful plan just isn’t as good as I imagine.
ForumPoster said:
When I was younger, people used to constantly tell me that God had great plans for my life…
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God had great plans for the life of St Therese of Lisieux, a Doctor of the Church.

But she died at the age of 24, having accomplished exactly nothing in the eyes of the world. She was a cloistered nun who never did a single remarkable thing in her life, which was hidden from the world. She didn’t spend her life feeding the poor, or teaching children, or being a missionary. She prayed and made tiny sacrifices for the love of Christ. That’s all.

Look, I’m gonna just be straight up with you here. If you are so attached to your prayer intention that not getting what you want is causing you to lose your faith, then I am going to suggest that your intention isn’t actually about doing good, but is rather about you and your plans.

Let go of your plans and seek what God is planning.

Just two cents’ worth of opinion from a middle-aged woman who’s had to learn this lesson the hard way… over and over and over again.
 
MasterHaster said:
If not to change His mind, what is the purpose of petitionary prayer?
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Because Jesus told us to intercede for each other, and that’s enough we need to know.

Also, we can block the flow of graces by our actions and attitudes—like in interpersonal conflicts. We can ask God to change the situation, and He starts by changing us. Then we can respond to the conflicts of our lives with agape charity instead of defensiveness.
Or He can calm our spirits so we can apply ourselves to the work at hand in a more productive manner (think panic and haste vs focused and methodical)
 
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