Bargaining with God

[babyOnTHEway]

or promising something without really thinking about it. I guess this has been weighing on my mind for a while - the bible seems very contradictory on the issue. I’ve read passages where it instructs you to keep your promise or be condemned and then there are those passages where God says everything can be forgiven if you ask. What if you break one of those promises? I now believe that you should never make promises to God since he says let your no be a no and your yes be a yes, but if you do make a promise because you are trying to baragain or get something in return and you break your word, does God care? I have been guilty of this in the past and I tend to get worked up when something happens and then just say God if you do this, I will do that. I have prayed about that and asked him to just ignore if I do that in the future!

Does God only care if you make promises concerning religion or him? like if you are praying for the recovery of someone in a car crash and you promise to go to church every day from now on, then that’s a more serious promise about a serious issue. But, What if you make some kind of promise, like God please help me find my wallet and I will never buy a purse ever again, and then you do buy one. Is God going to hold that against you? Does he even care about those kind of promises? I think he has bigger things to worry about than things like that, but I could be wrong on that and that’s why I came to you guys. What do you think?

 

[JRKH]

The best advice here is to not make “bargains” in the first place…Then there is no worry.

If this has been something habitual with you in prayer, It’s time to stop because it is disturbing your peace.

Secondarily…Since you obviously do not have a handle on what is meant about making such promises (oaths etc.) God will forgive you for your past failures (though there may be purgatory time…).

Make no oaths - no “bargains”…
Speak to your confessor about this for more detail that fits to you personally.

Peace
James

 

[midori]

Do you think it’s acceptable to make sloppy, pointless promises with no intention of keeping your word to your friends? Your family members? Your coworkers? Your children?

What makes it acceptable to take that route with God?

It might be more profitable to do something you genuinely are able to accomplish, and are genuinely able to carry through. Then treat it as though God has already answered your petition, and ignore whether the answer came in the manner you wished for. If you say, “I’m going to volunteer at the soup kitchen every Thursday this summer so that Timmy gets better,” start volunteering at the soup kitchen immediately, in the heart of “Thank you for hearing my prayers.” Don’t try and use it as leverage: “I’m going to do x, but not until I get my way.”

 

[babyOnTHEway]

Do you think it’s acceptable to make sloppy, pointless promises with no intention of keeping your word to your friends? Your family members? Your coworkers? Your children?

What makes it acceptable to take that route with God?

It might be more profitable to do something you genuinely are able to accomplish, and are genuinely able to carry through. Then treat it as though God has already answered your petition, and ignore whether the answer came in the manner you wished for. If you say, “I’m going to volunteer at the soup kitchen every Thursday this summer so that Timmy gets better,” start volunteering at the soup kitchen immediately, in the heart of “Thank you for hearing my prayers.” Don’t try and use it as leverage: “I’m going to do x, but not until I get my way.”

Well, I do not do this on purpose, so I just wanted to say that. And also, I am a very paranoid person - I have a little OCD and I will say these things and then I try my best to keep my end even if I do NOT get what I asked for. But I can get paranoid and think if I buy or do something I said I would not, even though I did not get what I wanted - I will go to Hell over something that rationally I think God doesn’t even care about.

 

[JRKH]

Well, I do not do this on purpose, so I just wanted to say that. And also, I am a very paranoid person - I have a little OCD and I will say these things and then I try my best to keep my end even if I do NOT get what I asked for. But I can get paranoid and think if I buy or do something I said I would not, even though I did not get what I wanted - I will go to Hell over something that rationally I think God doesn’t even care about.

Since you suffer from OCD type issues - it is even more imperative that you discuss this with a good regular confessor…

Peace
James

 

[flower_lady]

God gave the Priest the authority to forgive sins. Go to confession and repent and I’m pretty sure the priest will forgive you. Tell him what you told us in confession. God loves and wants to forgive you." It is an insult to God to think that your sins are greater than his mercy." Mother Angelaca (EWTN).
Take care, God cares. Brenda
I have and I suppose many others have commited that sin. You are not alone.

 

[cessnawag]

Think of it as a parent and a child. If your child keeps promising things and doesn’t come through, you will obviously forgive them because of love, but this would get irritating over time. Be a good child to god.