How do I know if I God is testing me?

[Bohm_Bawerk]

Today I’ve just received extremely bad news, and I have been made to feel worse than a dog’s excretion. I recall months ago I had prayed the rosary numerous amount of times, yet to no avail, for this situation to be mitigated. I’m considering going back to Agnosticism, or even making an entire U-turn and becoming an “Rebellious Atheist”. How does one actually discern whether God is is testing an individual or not as Scripture remarks that God will never test us beyond our capacity, but surely, this is beyond what I’m capable of coping with (I feel highly suicidal at times).

In short, how does one discern whether God is actually testing an individual? I’m below the age of 20 if that counts for anything…

Thank you,
Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk

 

[Totterman]

Jesus,our Lords peace be whit You.
First,I am sorry for the bad news,I realy are. Then,when God is testing You,You will know. Pray my son,pray hard.
Blessings,Totterman

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Today I’ve just received extremely bad news, and I have been made to feel worse than a dog’s excretion. I recall months ago I had prayed the rosary numerous amount of times, yet to no avail, for this situation to be mitigated. I’m considering going back to Agnosticism, or even making an entire U-turn and becoming an “Rebellious Atheist”. How does one actually discern whether God is is testing an individual or not as Scripture remarks that God will never test us beyond our capacity, but surely, this is beyond what I’m capable of coping with (I feel highly suicidal at times).

In short, how does one discern whether God is actually testing an individual? I’m below the age of 20 if that counts for anything…

Thank you,
Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk

From the sounds of it, you’re faith isn’t strong enough for God to test you.

First off, faith requires that we surrender ourselves to God, and place all of our trust in Him.

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we say, “lead us not into temptation.” Originally, this was 'do not put us to the test." The test in Hebrew understanding was the final test which would make or break us.

However, in the Lord’s prayer we trust that God hears us, and that he will not put us to a make or break test concerning our faith.

The only source for faith is Jesus Christ. If you desire faith, turn to him in prayer and ask, but ask with the condition that you will surrender every part of your being to him.

Remember one thing. Faith is the revelation of God himself to us, however that may happen.

Religion is our responce to that faith.

Jim

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

From the sounds of it, you’re faith isn’t strong enough for God to test you.

First off, faith requires that we surrender ourselves to God, and place all of our trust in Him.

I like your response. I know my faith isn’t as strong as what it should ideally be, but this does seem like a test. I’ve been knocking on God’s door now for around 3-4 months now, without any “definite” response. I just have this notion that God is standing by to see how long I’ll keep knocking whilst my life goes down the drain.

Thank you,
Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I like your response. I know my faith isn’t as strong as what it should ideally be, but this does seem like a test. I’ve been knocking on God’s door now for around 3-4 months now, without any “definite” response. I just have this notion that God is standing by to see how long I’ll keep knocking whilst my life goes down the drain.

Thank you,
Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk

What is it you’re expecting from God?

Jim

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

What is it you’re expecting from God?

Jim

It’s an extremely long story (I sometimes chuckle when I say this because it really is) and I feel as if I’m only one who’ll ever understand it. That said, let’s just say that I am expecting God to give me a stable tenure at school

Thank you,
Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk

 

[Lief_Erikson]

Something very important for growth in the spiritual life is to pray that we might conform our wills to God’s will, rather than that He will conform His will to our wills. Submission, humility, is crucial. We often think we know what is best for our lives, but in reality, God knows what is best and we are ignorant enough to make a lot of mistakes about it – and then blame God when He disagrees with us or when our ideas and desires fall apart.

We have a guarantee that God will always seek what is best for us. We don’t have a guarantee that we, who are ignorant humans, will always agree with God’s view or understand it. God often tore the saints down, making their earthly lives fall apart, because doing this caused them to abandon their own wills and choose God’s will above their own. Then, choosing His will first, they became conformed to His will, and in His will and His way, they found all the joy and fulfillment of their lives.

We always pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done, on Earth as it is In Heaven.” We are all God’s servants. We often desire earthly things very much, but if we abandon them for God’s sake, then we will find God and what is best and most fulfilling in life, which might not be what we expect it to be. Remember that some of the most impoverished people on Earth are also some of the most fulfilled and happy. Earthly possessions do not create lasting or spiritual happiness.

St. Francis of Assisi, for instance, was the poorest of the poor, yet spiritually, he was the richest of the rich, filled with joy beyond our comprehension. The Scripture says, “Blessed are the poor.” It is possible that, if God does not give you the stable tenure, He is withholding it from you in order to bless you the more. When people have what they want in life, they often don’t make room in their lives for God or put Him first. This situation gives you an opportunity to put Him first in your life, to say to Him, “Please make Yourself more important to me than this tenure, so that I might love you with my whole heart and soul, and in you find the true meaning of life.”

 

[latin_rite]

It’s an extremely long story (I sometimes chuckle when I say this because it really is) and I feel as if I’m only one who’ll ever understand it. That said, let’s just say that I am expecting God to give me a stable tenure at school

Thank you,
Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk

I’ve been praying to God to win lotto for years now. And to give me a job i’ve always wanted. But unless you’re a saint. Or you’re part of some grand plan. God doesn’t grant wishes. And i think. Having a cry and issuing threats of “not believing anymore” Will probably make your “wish” even less likely.

 

[Lief_Erikson]

As I said in my last post, God wants us to conform our wills to His will, rather than to conform His will to our wills. For if He conforms His will to our wills, we don’t improve at all, spiritually. We remain the same. He comes down to our level rather than bringing us up to His. But the more unified we are with His perspective, the more holy we become, the more our prayers are answered, because we ask the right things more often and ask more worthily.

I talked about this more in my previous post; it’s very important, so I hope some of you read that post.

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

I’ve been praying to God to win lotto for years now. And to give me a job i’ve always wanted. But unless you’re a saint. Or you’re part of some grand plan. God doesn’t grant wishes. And i think. Having a cry and issuing threats of “not believing anymore” Will probably make your “wish” even less likely.

But the thing is, is that I personally don’t believe my petition is anything like winning the lotto or getting a job that one has always wanted. Like I said, it is an incredibly long story. I say “stable tenure at school”, but the underpinnings behind it are quite profound. It’s a shame I can’t write it here on the forums because it is extremely complicated. And when I say complicated, I really mean it.

Thank you,
**Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk **

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

And i think. Having a cry and issuing threats of “not believing anymore” Will probably make your “wish” even less likely.

I don’t really think I’m having a “cry” per se. But yes indeed, I really do wish to experience God in the same way some CAF users have described, and so my heart cries out in that respect. But when you’ve tried virtually every prayer and nothing seems to change, one has to eventually come to a conclusion that enough is enough and perhaps God simply is not interested in what you have to say. In fact, Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. How can I continue to keep praying if the result will always be the same: Silence?

Thank you,
**Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk **

 

[JimR-OCDS]

It’s an extremely long story (I sometimes chuckle when I say this because it really is) and I feel as if I’m only one who’ll ever understand it. That said, let’s just say that I am expecting God to give me a stable tenure at school

Thank you,
Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk

But perhaps what you’re expecting and God’s will are not in sync?

Following Christ means aligning our will with God’s.

Jim

 

[Deedledum]

Hi Eugene,
It sounds like you have gotten some good advice from the other posters. I would like to add just one more thing. From your writings I get the impression that you are beating your head against a wall about this situation. It could be that God is trying to answer your prayers but you are to busy fretting and wondering to see or hear. I say this because I have done that very same behavior myself. I’ve gotten mad at God for not hearing me or answering me etc. Well, what I finally learned (the hard way) was when I get to a point of frustration, I check myself and say "Lord, I give up “. " I don’t know what to do, but I know you do and I put it in your hands and I will try not to pick it up anymore”. Please show me what I need to do/or not do in this matter (situation, problem, etc.) It could be that He’s growing you spiritually while you’re through this. Just don’t give up. A bad day with Jesus is better then a good day without Him!

p.s. As a side note, I have a situation in my life that’s been going on for two years. I’ve learned a lot about myself in the process of “waiting” for it to come to a close. Something to think about.

 

[Monica4316]

Today I’ve just received extremely bad news, and I have been made to feel worse than a dog’s excretion. I recall months ago I had prayed the rosary numerous amount of times, yet to no avail, for this situation to be mitigated. I’m considering going back to Agnosticism, or even making an entire U-turn and becoming an “Rebellious Atheist”. How does one actually discern whether God is is testing an individual or not as Scripture remarks that God will never test us beyond our capacity, but surely, this is beyond what I’m capable of coping with (I feel highly suicidal at times).

In short, how does one discern whether God is actually testing an individual? I’m below the age of 20 if that counts for anything…

Thank you,
Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk

I’m sorry about what happened to you. I think whenever something bad happens to us, it is a test, or God wants to use it somehow to help us spiritually (if we respond to His grace, as He doesn’t force us to respond). I don’t see this explanation being at all less probable than atheism… rather, it’s an explanation of suffering and why God allows it. We don’t know God’s plans. There are many times when He has brought good out of suffering, and the good I’m talking about could be a spiritual grace, such as growing in faith or trust (by choosing to trust in difficult times). God bless you

 

[Monica4316]

I don’t really think I’m having a “cry” per se. But yes indeed, I really do wish to experience God in the same way some CAF users have described, and so my heart cries out in that respect. But when you’ve tried virtually every prayer and nothing seems to change, one has to eventually come to a conclusion that enough is enough and perhaps God simply is not interested in what you have to say. In fact, Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. How can I continue to keep praying if the result will always be the same: Silence?

Thank you,
**Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk **

Jesus said we must persevere in prayer, because a prayer can be answered only after some time. That’s where Einstein’s rule doesn’t apply. God isn’t subject to our rules.

God hears every prayer… why do you think that He is not interested in what you have to say, or doesn’t love you, after He died for you on the Cross? When we feel far from God, it is either because we have moved away from Him, or because He is giving this trial to us for our spiritual growth. It is never because He has left us. Jesus even said this to the Saints in private revelations, such as Divine Mercy.

catholic-forum.com/churches/cathteach/divinemercy1.htm

Try to think of the Cross and remember that… we know God’s love primarily by the Cross, not by our experiences, feelings, consolations, etc. “Blessed are those who have not seen yet believed”. It’s one thing to believe in God when He is giving us consolations… it’s another thing to trust Him when everything seems to be going badly and God seems far away. But that is how we grow in heroic virtue and love. We don’t grow in faith when it’s easy to have faith.

God bless

 

[GaryTaylor]

It’s an extremely long story (I sometimes chuckle when I say this because it really is) and I feel as if I’m only one who’ll ever understand it. That said, let’s just say that I am expecting God to give me a stable tenure at school

Thank you,
Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk

Will you deny God if you don’t receive what you have been praying for a few months?

How about if you don’t receive it next year? Will you deny him then? Or the year after?

How about this theory, How about we wake every day and remember these four words, I believe in God. Follow the path he placed before us, and ask God for the strength to make it through each day?

 

[MtnDwellar]

Lief and Monica have given you great answers.

To directly answer your question, Yes. It is a test. Life is a test. It is always a test.

 

[karbear]

Hi,

I believe you when you say that its complicated. I think that there is too much assumption in some of the replies here. You may have very good reason to trust that God has placed you in the path that you are on.

I think that He slowly grows our faith by removing consolations so that we can make that next step in faith. It seems to me that it would be pride for anyone to think that our faith is so strong that we wouldn’t have the same trying thoughts in the same situation. I say this because in younger years I thought that there could never be a situation that I couldn’t give with joy to Him, but I was wrong. It seems to me that He even allows us to break sometimes. He is the divine physician.

Try with me to give glory to him by trusting. Even if we don’t do it well at first. Perseverence is the ultimate goal on this pilgrimmage, because we will be tested. It’s a dangerous journey. Those of us trying will encounter resistance. When we give up, that resistance will go away, but so will our inner joy. It’s there even when the pain is intense. Make it to the end and cry tears of joy. I’m so sure that the Lord has reasons for allowing your current situation. It will probably even resolve itself favorably with time.

 

[John_Russell_Jr]

Today I’ve just received extremely bad news, and I have been made to feel worse than a dog’s excretion. I recall months ago I had prayed the rosary numerous amount of times, yet to no avail, for this situation to be mitigated. I’m considering going back to Agnosticism, or even making an entire U-turn and becoming an “Rebellious Atheist”. How does one actually discern whether God is is testing an individual or not as Scripture remarks that God will never test us beyond our capacity, but surely, this is beyond what I’m capable of coping with (I feel highly suicidal at times).

In short, how does one discern whether God is actually testing an individual? I’m below the age of 20 if that counts for anything…

Thank you,
Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk

… my dear friend …

… our whole existene here is a test , when you pray god does not know what on earth your words are , he reads your heart and gives you what you truly need , and all too often people are disappointed at not getting what they wanted , god is infinitely superior to you and don’t play the game of trying to punish god - you just harm yourself and make yourself sick , you cannot harm god , are you only gods friend when things go well ??? you are a fallen human being and this is the entire problem absolutely , you are in reality a tiny little child with very little intelligence and hardly any of your mind left due to the fall , about 5% and the bit left is sick , deluded , insane , evil and prone to evil , this is not gods fault , you think its bad times forever , but it will change to good times , just coast along as god helps you mature and grow up , god is perfect and does all infinitely perfectly - how can you doubt that ??? god is infinite love and loves you infinitely , do you think god is evil ??? of course he isn’t , if he was he would instantly implode with everything else , stop worrying - we all get like whinging little babies but god in his infinite wisdom always does what we need , have a little bit of faith and trust and abandon yourself totally to god , gods will is infinitely perfect - yours most certainly is not , you are here to do gods will , don;'t expect god to do your will , are you saying you’ll only love and follow god if he does your will ??? sounds like it , god makes us go through unpleasant experiences for infinite reasons so don’t look for a simple answer , trust god as he sees your entire eternity and is doing what’s best for you always , we thwart gods plan for us and stuff everything up , god just keeps fixing up our mess - and does a damn good job , god is infinitely superior to you dear friend - just trust him always even when its hard , hang in there and don’t punish god , you only punish yourself and you completely misunderstand god , do you know all that will happen in the next minute - of course not , god knows all that will happen in all eternity , trust him he is doing the right thing by you and for you and all , hang in there dear friend … i’ll pray for you - remmber me too …

… god bless you …

… john …

 

[John_Russell_Jr]

I don’t really think I’m having a “cry” per se. But yes indeed, I really do wish to experience God in the same way some CAF users have described, and so my heart cries out in that respect. But when you’ve tried virtually every prayer and nothing seems to change, one has to eventually come to a conclusion that enough is enough and perhaps God simply is not interested in what you have to say. In fact, Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. How can I continue to keep praying if the result will always be the same: Silence?

Thank you,
**Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk **

… my dear friend …

… i’ve already said it but twice is not a sin , god does not understand or pay attention to our words in prayer - they are just babble to him , he reads our hearts always to know what we truly need and want and gives us this , people assume god did not answer their prayer but he always does , people just don’t know that god only listens to the prayer of our heart because it communicates pure truth in an infinite language of love god can understand , the heart cannot lie either , god is in our hearts and we pray to god : heart to heart , understand this and you’ll know why prayers seem unanswered , but in reality god gives you your hearts desire - everything you truly need , you just don’t understand it , there are bad times here but god permits it to purify us and to bring much good out of it - for a few things , just trust god and hang in there dear friend …

… god bless you …

… john …