Unanswered Prayer

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Prayer is as much or more for the person(s) praying as it is for the one(s) being prayed for. It is a means of transformation if we allow it. Be well.
 
Faith1960 said:
Gods will will be done whether we pray or not. So whats the point of praying anyway?
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Because God may will to only give certain graces, for example, if someone should pray for them. God wants us to pray for ourselves and for others, ultimately because it draws us closer to Him, and because He wants to save us as a body, not merely as individuals.

I agree with the others regarding the question posed in the thread title, and I’ll relate a little story from Bishop Sheen.

There was a father who had a little girl. He asked her what she wanted for Christmas, and she told him, “Daddy, I want a thousand dolls!”

“I’m not so sure about that, sweetheart.”

Unshaken, the child proudly stated, “I’m going to ask God for them anyway!”

Well, Christmas came and went, and the little girl got many presents. But she certainly did not get a thousand dolls.

Her father, who happened to be an atheist, said, “Well, I guess God didn’t answer your prayers, then! You don’t have a thousand dolls after all.”

The child looked at her father rather confused and said, “Of course He did, Daddy! He said no!”

Having suffering removed is in no way comparable to wanting a thousand dolls. But as Catholics, I think we have the only answer as to why suffering even exists in the first place, and how it can have any meaning. Our Lord prayed to the Father three times asking, if it be possible, that His suffering be removed. But nonetheless, He submitted to His cross, and He told us to likewise pick up ours, and follow after Him.

If we permit ourselves to be scandalized by His cross and by ours, then we need to pray for God to give us the graces to accept our cross, rather than flee from it. This prayer should most certainly be prayed; and, as stated at the beginning of this post, we may very well not get such a grace, even though it is God’s will that we have it, unless we pray for it. Likewise, we should beg for the grace to have an increase of faith and of trust in His mercy.

If you want something from the perspective of philosophy and theology, I’d recommend this: hebrewcatholic.net/13-04-why-does-god-permit-evil/.
 
Faith1960 said:
The babys illness is bothering me.
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Oh - I thought you were referring to my comment about a relationship with God. As far as illness & tragedy goes with innocent ones - you aren’t the first, nor will you be the last, to question God’s apparent inactivity. I stopped asking for answers from God when I realized I’ll never know - not in the here & now at any rate.
 
Faith1960 said:
What could the reason be that He says no, when the unanswered prayer leads to such horrible consequences?
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You don’t see what gods plans are in regards to his soul or the soul of his spouse and family.
 
I am very sorry for your friends illness and my heart goes out to the baby and it’s family. I’m praying for strength and comfort for all.

God’s plans are without limits. Who could possibly know what God is thinking?

What if Gods plan is that your friends brain damage continues to progress? What if this pain an suffering will enable him to go directly to heaven for eternity. Our sliver of time on this earth is inconsequential compared to our eternal life.

What if your friends suffering serves as a wake up call to others who then find their way back to Jesus? Souls could then be saved?

The possibilities are endless.

God Bless you.
 
puzzledtoo said:
A prayer and a meditation that I believe cannot go “unanswered” and are not viewing a personal god as a vending machine. I offer them to you and yours in your time of want.
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Thy will be done, not mine.
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It will be done regardless of what I want or ask for anyway.
May you all be filled with loving kindness
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.
I’m bordering on bitterness instead
May you all be well.
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Popular prayer request, I’m sure, but unlikely to be answered.
May you all be peaceful and at ease.
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Again, likely another popular prayer request, but given how the world is, unlikely to be answered.
May you all be happy
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I thought happiness in this world wasn’t promised.
 
Methos,
Two statements you made in your post I’d like to address. “I thought happiness in this world wasn’t promised.” I don’t believe the loving kindness meditation is confined to this world or lifetime and I don’t believe me meditating in this way promises anything to anyone it is simply my hope that you(for example) be well, happy, etc.
“I’m bordering on bitterness instead.” I don’t condemn, I don’t convert. If you get off the fence and determine to become bitter then I encourage you to be the best bitter person that you can be-don’t be half hearted about it. If on the other hand you determine to move away from bitterness I encourage you to be the best at whatever it is you choose. May you be happy, well, peaceful and at ease, and filled with loving kindness whichever way you choose to live the rest of this life. Blessings to you and yours.
 
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