Questions about God

[HoldingGodsHand]

These are some things I am thinking and wondering about God. If someone is sick or hurt and facing possible death does God step in and let them live if he wants them to? Or does he let them die? Does he listen to others prayers first or is just that when it’s “our time” it’s our time, as in God has already decided? What if someone tries to kill them self but it’s not “their time” would he just let them survive? If God knows everything then has he forgiven us before we even do wrong? Maybe that last question doesn’t make sense but it came to my mind. I mean I guess we have to ask forgiveness first right? Last question, if God knows us then does he see good in our heart even if we can’t see it in ourselves?

 

[Jared2914]

I’m not a theologian, but I will try to answer from what I believe.

These are some things I am thinking and wondering about God. If someone is sick or hurt and facing possible death does God step in and let them live if he wants them to? Or does he let them die?

God can perform a miracle to keep them alive if he wants. God does not cause anyone to die these days. He did in the past in the Old Testament, but not anymore. If someone dies, it is either natural causes or caused by human sin. This could be themselves in the case of suicide or someone else in the case of murder. It may be of their own volition or giving in to the devil’s temptations.

Does he listen to others prayers first or is just that when it’s “our time” it’s our time, as in God has already decided?

If God decides to perform a miracle, it is usually based on prayer. He likes our free will to play itself out, so He doesn’t like to do miracles all the time. We know that the more prayer there is for someone, the more likely God is to perform a miracle. As far as God “deciding”, we see in the Bible where he changed his mind based on prayer. This is not because his plans were flawed but out of love. He wants to please us so much, sometimes he will change his plans, even if what we request is not in our best interest. An example of this is when the Israelites prayed to God to give them a king. God knew it would not be good, but He did in anyways because he loved them.

What if someone tries to kill them self but it’s not “their time” would he just let them survive?

God will not interfere with free will. If God chooses a person for some purpose and they commit suicide, God will choose someone else to carry out that task. God is so powerful that no matter what, his plans will always happen if he wants them to. (as above, He can change his plans if people pray for it)

If God knows everything then has he forgiven us before we even do wrong? Maybe that last question doesn’t make sense but it came to my mind. I mean I guess we have to ask forgiveness first right?

God exists outside of time. The way I think of it is that he is always in the present. When you ask for forgiveness, he is there in the present forgiving you. There is no timeline for God.

Last question, if God knows us then does he see good in our heart even if we can’t see it in ourselves?

God knows us more than ourselves, so yes, he can see good in us even if we don’t. The fact that God is ready to forgive us for sins whenever we are ready to repent shows that everyone has some good in them that can be restored to fullness. Until a person dies, they can always be healed through confession and be made ready for eternal life in heaven.

 

[fred_conty]

If someone is sick or hurt and facing possible death does God step in and let them live if he wants them to? Or does he let them die?

It is usually thought that God picks the most appropriate time for each to die that will benefit them the most. We ourselves don’t know what the most appropriate time is for ourselves to die.

It has been observed that it dosen’t always seem that way since some seem to die in sin. But then again, if they lived longer it may well be that they would sin more gravely and suffer even more consequences.

Looking at the saints, some have died young and others in old age. And some were spared death such as St. John the Evangelist to live longer. From our perspective, it seems a bit confusing. But then since God is all knowing and we are not, we know he judges differently that we do.

Does he listen to others prayers first…?

Yes very definitely. But he sees things all in one glance like in a bubble, everything from beginning to end. So prayers are applied because he sees our prayers even before they are said and so prayers can change an outcome as he values them. And it seems the holier the person praying the greater weight those prayers seem to have.

What if someone tries to kill them self but it’s not “their time” would he just let them survive? If God knows everything then has he forgiven us before we even do wrong?

In Gods sight, everything has already taken place from beginning to end because he knows everything at one glance. There are no surprises to him. He sees what prayers were said, who is doing what, and every person is already been judged POTENTIALLY, until it happens actually in time. Therefore he is in a position to make perfect judgments for the good of each person. It may not seem that way to every person because of their very limited knowledge, but that is what he does. Because he is love itself, he cannot act in any other way but to want the good of every person.

But as far as being forgiven before being wrong, this cannot be, because we can only ask for forgiveness for something that has already happened. In other words, if I asked you to forgive me for stomping on your little toe, and you said, but you haven’t stomped on my little toe, then how could I be forgiven something I haven’t done?

Last question, if God knows us then does he see good in our heart even if we can’t see it in ourselves?

In a word Yes. That is what God looks at…the heart of a person and not the body. And he values every person’s heart more than all else that person has. For that is what makes a person good or bad is his heart, whether it be good, cold, indifferent, hostile, loving, hateful, compassionate, greedy, supportive, and all the rest. He sees this and this is what moves God the most. And the job of each person is to make it a good heart.

May God bless and keep you. May God’s face shine on you. May God be kind to you and give you peace.