Does it seem like God says No more than Yes?

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Of course, there’s cure, and then there’s healing.
Cure is when your disease vanishes. Miracle cures are rare, but they do happen.
Healing is when a person who has suffered a lot is brought to a place where they are living well with what they have to cope with, from a place of peace and strength, and then they can in turn uplift those around them.
There are documented cures from Lourdes, for instance, but there are far more healings, that people report, but are not able to be objectively measured.

Now, I am the first to admit, that when somebody is in the middle of intense pain and suffering, they’re not going to be very appreciative of somebody like me toddling along and blabbing about something as esoteric as healing, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to minister to a person in that state in that way (kind of like if you go to a funeral and tell the crying bereaved that they’re loved one is in a better place and they should snap out of it already).
Timing is everything.

I’m just saying what I’ve seen and experienced. Sometimes we have to go through a very dark and scary place to emerge into the light.

Peace.
 
It sounds like you prayed for “your” will to be done rather than God’s.

If God had shown you your grandfather and mother in paradise with the saints and angels, would you still think God said no ? Fact is, both went to God and He makes all things well.

The issue here is, we pray for the best for the person according to God’s will, not ours.

God has the complete picture while we have only a tidbit and it’s limited to mortal life here on earth.

Jim
 
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I was raised in an atheistic household and some days it is really hard for me to have faith that a God, much less a benevolent God exists.

I sometimes wonder if my belief is some sort of delusion and I must check myself into a psychiatric facility.
 
Another alternative is to ask God to be with you every moment. This is especially true for those of us who due to the circumstances of life find ourselves alone far from family and friends.

I am all the way in the East Coast and I am really, really homesick for Hawaii.
 
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I don’t think I can handle my crosses if it weren’t for Jesus Christ in my life. Think about all the good things that Jesus did yet He kept doing them and He kept being persecuted until death. It’s a sad life when you think of it but I don’t think Jesus regretted any moment because He knew what He would do for us out of love. St Paul also had a horrible life but a good life.
Are we on the same caliber as Saint Paul? . Why do horrible things happen to good people? Ha only God knows. Jesus is there to help us with our crosses that’s what we can’t forget but nothing is a given in this life we are so vulnerable but we are precious and loved by God. But if we live with our minds pointed towards our next life we can experience great joy today and in knowing that we will be with our loved ones again and the great joy that we will have in heaven. Before I was diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease I had a great what I would consider a supernatural encounter With Jesus Christ and I had to think it was because Jesus knew what I would be up against and wanted me to know He would be there for me to help me through it and has been. God bless you.
 
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That’s cool you’re from hawaii. I’m a little petulant brat, if I pray and I don’t get my way, I become frustrated, angry and temperamental. I don’t ask for anything, I guess it’s better to rejoice in your blessings
 
Religion is weird. I don’t like delving too deeply into. It’s complex. God cannot be calculated.
 
My step father was raised by non practicing Lutherans who never had him baptized. A good man, when he married my mother, he promised to raise me in the Catholic Church. He would often join us for mass on major holidays and paid the tuition at my catholic schools. Yet, he never showed any interest in joining the church. During his working career, he was impressed by the strong faith of a Baptist co worker and considered joining that church. But he recognized that he was drawn to it by the man and not by the faith so he abandoned the notion. In 2015, at age 82, he woke up one morning and told my mom to call the priest because he wanted to be baptized. At first, she didn’t take him seriously but he persisted. After 50 years of prayer, God chose the right moment to respond. Dad received the 3 sacraments of initiation. 2 months later, he underwent successful surgery but the anesthesia and pain killers brought on dementia. Had he waited until after surgery, no priest would have administered those sacraments.

Personally, I went through a period of 11 years where I prayed to God to help me find a good job. At that time, I was working p/t in a business school with no medical or any other benefits. It was a weekly struggle to pay bills and put food on the table for my family. I felt as though God had abandoned me. Worse still, the school decided to merge with another and fired all their local staff. Without work, I continued to pray as I applied to jobs through the classifieds. A call came one day inviting me for an interview. Several weeks later, a 2nd interview was scheduled and 1 month later, I was hired. The position came with a great salary and full benefits for me and my family. Curious as to why I had been chosen over 40 more highly qualified candidates, I asked my boss. Turns out that all the programs I had (learned on my own) and taught at the business school matched those being used in this office. Essentially, God had been at my side all the time, preparing me for this response to my prayer.

Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
 
I personally find that, if I ask God for something often enough and persistent enough, I will always get an answer. Most of the time, the answer is “keep praying”, which is a way of saying yes, but that the consistent prayers are essential to creating the opportunity.

There was one time when God specifically said no, but I persisted. He then warned me in a strong way to stop asking, and finally when I continued, He gave me what I asked for, which I instantly regretted.

I think that there is discernment necessary, and also a deeper understanding of what happens when we pray. I have come to understand that in most cases, there is a huge brick wall between us and what we are asking for in prayer - and the more extravagant the thing we are asking for, the thicker, wider, and taller the brick wall. On average, a typical prayer may remove one brick, so it takes multiple, consistent prayers to finally achieve what we asked for.

There are some shortcuts though. Living a truly holy, sinless life (to our best ability) allows us to remove multiple blocks per prayer, depending on our sanctity. Fasting and penance does the same thing. The Rosary is like firing a cannon ball at the brick wall. Group prayer has a multiplier affect that increases the more people join you.

I personally recommend fasting, combined with a daily Rosary, and constant, constant prayer. I usually always get a clear answer to all of my prayers (either directly from the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit giving an utterance to my spiritual director, who himself is a prayerful priest). This is especially true if you are asking for someone to be healed of a sickness, which is possible, but you must be willing to make some form of sacrifice to charge up the prayer.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye. shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh. findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8

Those are not idle words.
 
I Saw You

I saw you
As you stepped
Onto the final path
Your steps sinking into its ground

I saw as you
As you lost your balance
And fell to the earth
Without strength to stand

I saw you
As a tear came from your eye
As you curled up
And pretended not to notice

I saw you as
As your body failed
As your bones grew brittle
And you could not move

I saw you
As you refused to eat
As you slowly wasted away
And your heart searched for meaning

I saw you
As your heart gave up the search
As you stopped answering
And you stopped listening

I saw you
As life passed us by
As we kept vigil for miracles
And realized they would never come
 
My suggestion is follow God’s instruction concerning prayer: When you pray, say “Our Father, who art in heaven…” You will always get a YES to that prayer, if you mean it.

Especially, notice the petitions, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

God IS King, and His kingdom is, as Jesus preached, “at hand.” It is not yet here in full manifestation and glory - but it is here in the hearts and souls of the blessed ones. Those who are blessed with a foretaste of His kingdom, His will, His grace, have a burden on their backs that He has given us to carry for as long as we will: the gift of suffering (some more, some less) for His Kingdom, and for the many, many lost souls who do NOT seek His Kingdom and His will - at least not yet.

When we seek, above all, HIS kingdom, and HIS will to be done on earth, THEN we will find peace even here in this valley of tears and crosses.
 
The main thing that struck me about your post is that all the prayers you mentioned involved yourself and other people. It may be that what you prayed for, while it may have been good for you, did not fit into God’s plan for the other person in each instance. I hope that helps.
 
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Sarcelle said:
I was raised in an atheistic household and some days it is really hard for me to have faith that a God, much less a benevolent God exists.

I sometimes wonder if my belief is some sort of delusion and I must check myself into a psychiatric facility.
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That’s fascinating. I also was raised in an atheist household, but my experience is completely different. Once I realised I believed the Credo, it seems my faith was assured, and it has not been shaken once in the past thirty-five years. While I am grateful for that grace, I am also rather nervous about it. When I read that Mother Teresa lost her belief in God and for the last forty-nine years of her life was walking in spiritual darkness, with no light ahead to guide her, my firm faith appears facile and worthless. Why should a great saint like Mother Teresa have suffered so, and little ol’ me have this unshakeable belief? I have never really had it tested. I have had plenty of adversity, but my faith always stayed strong. Sometimes I wish something would happen to shake my faith, so that I can through a test like some of the great saints. I guess maybe I should just be grateful for this grace.
 
I sincerely appreciate everyone’s responses. They have been both thoughtful and thorugh provoking. It’s a huge help to me.

God bless you all!
 
Denise,
You describe so many painful experiences. And there is such good advice here;
I can only give a corollary relating a little of the pain I experienced during my life.
But, honestly, I’m well aware that my pain is not identical to your pain; only God
knows how you feel.
It may help to know that it took me a very long time to grow in trust of God.
But now that this trust in greater; I’m accepting Providence more. And this helps
with an inner peace and joy.
I was an abused child. I was told that while 1-1/2 years old, once my dad got so angry with me; he threw me on the bed so forcibly that my head bounced off the headboard and I landed on the floor. I remember as a toddler, sometimes being so afraid of him; I would stay still on the couch, being quiet so long that I would fall asleep. I don’t need to relate any more since, if he was capable of what is above;
you know what kind of dad he was. And even though, by 12 yo. the physical abuse subsided for us; he was always overbearing and often emotionally abusing.
My mom, God rest her soul, was a hard working home keeper. She was raised
with some abuse; but as a God fearing Catholic; and loved Jesus Christ. She would cry at the Passion during King of Kings or another film every year. But because of her guilt at divorcing her first husband (that man’s name is on my birth certificate);
and living with my dad — combined with tremendous neurotic socialization issues;
we would only be regular Church goers from time to time. And she did communicate
many time with us; but over all she wasn’t a ‘hugger’ or very demonstrative. But please, please don’t get me wrong — she was a great hard working mom; and gave
taught us to love Jesus Christ — and conveyed a sense of right and wrong; and caring about others.
(cont…)
 
So, as you can see I had to be an emotionally challenged person growing into my twenties. Not a regular Church goer, until I was 30 years old.
I wasn’t at all ready for marriage; but married my first opportunity at 24 years old.
We were both kind of depressed persons, relying on, and hoping on others
to give us inner happiness. We were doing OK, though; until a misunderstood
medical test by a former girl friend’s - another boyfriend’s family became known to us.
We had at the time, two toddlers, Mary and Rachel. We learned to, not only bring them to Church; but take Church seriously. Shirley their mom, wouldn’t agree to the Catholic Church — and I didn’t see any harm at going to The Presbyterian Church.
Shirley was actually raised being taught that regular Church attendance was an option; and she really felt that way; and wasn’t as open as me at Church. She didn’t really form any bonds; and later for a time attended nursing school on the weekends which didn’t help matters.
___I better sum this up - so because we looked in fulfillment from each other; with me having an immense fear of abandonment ( not really cognizant of it at the time);
she wasn’t prepared to forgive me of emotional cheating when we went through a rough time, very rough — regarding this daughter of a former girlfriend. Shirley and my mom became seriously on ‘the outs’ demanding not to be in each other’s presence. The wind up was, a DNA test showed she wasn’t my daughter. My wife, not only did not truly forgive me, having a detached passive aggressive attitude;
she threatened me with divorce if I took Mary and Rachel to see my mom their grand-mom. She came to Church with us, after a very long time. Myself, Mary and Rachel were very happy. They were glad to have their mom with us. They happily asked her, how did you like Church, mommy? She answered angrily, I’m divorcing daddy!
I asked her what is wrong. I did notice an exceptional long stressed face, but I thought it was because I put $10 in the offering instead of the usual $5. She said, that it was because a lady was very friendly with me; but barely looked at her; and that is because they really don’t know me like she does. But, not talk about it; and treat the children that way? Like an idiot; coward, I caved on not going to that Church with the kids anymore or taking them to my mom. It was the beginning of the end.
In 2003, 8 years after my divorce; with rose colored glasses on; I and that first girl friend formed a relationship. Not really facing many things; rationalizing the Will of God; just how very unevenly yoked we are; and so many things; never taking it lightly that we weren’t married; growing year by year with Spiritual, emotional, and financial dependency involving a lot of grand children; finally starting under the blessing of Pastoral Care in The Catholic Church — with a Justice Of The Peace Marriage. But our relationship; due to many factors and outside influences from her family - like her mom, siblings, grown children (one I have an Order of Protection) from; we should have ended it. (cont…)
 
So the ‘rose colored glasses,’ with a fear of seeking a way to separate from her after she decided regular Church going, and advice from the Church wasn’t what she wanted.
Me not realizing that because as the grand children got older; the tremendous disrespect the older children had for me; was being taught covertly and by example to the grand children/// that all my attempt to form less abuse for them - even getting Youth Services involved once — and I’m not the only one; once 5 children were taken away to foster care for a period of time form one of her daughters; but the children were often with us.
But in such a broken household; and I haven’t described it nearly enough; I was finally inspired to wean the children of my presence; then separate from her.
Many other painful experience like losing jobs over religious freedom issues.
Major life changes truly take time to heal. But the Lord Jesus Christ; through fidelity to The Catholic Church, brought me to a better inner joy and peace.
More and more focus is on what I can do for others; and acceptance of His Mercy;
healing relationships in my life as best I can; a life of penance and sharing The Gospel and ways to promote justice.
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen; when he was doing his final studies for the Priesthood experienced great loneliness. During that time he grew acquainted with a very needy family. He truly sacrifice himself to help them. With necessities, getting jobs and so forth. He said, that at times he felt he was being overly ‘used’ by them.
When he was coming up for his final oral questioning exam; actually waiting; he noticed the whole family coming down the street a long way from home. He asked them, what are you doing here. They said, we wanted you to know, we prayed many hours in The Chapel for your success in your final exam. Bishop Sheen said; the cure for loneliness is helping others. And with that, cheerfully accepting times of being alone; doesn’t have to result in feeling anxious and alone.
Thank you for your time. I hoped you see this as ‘comradery.’ And trying for solidarity with you.
I recommend -
Pray for joyful perseverance. Pray for trust in Providence. Ask, seek, and knock on ways to help others.
 
Just be - yes - in all things. Accepting.

"Thy will - be done "

Trust in the Holy Spirit -
Read the words of Jesus , esp 😇
 
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