Unanswered Prayers

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I’m not really a country music fan, but I heard this song by Garth Brooks (I think) called Unanswered Prayers. The theme of it is that people don’t always know what’s best for them, and if God doesn’t answer your prayers there’s a good reason for it. “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”

A few months ago, I was changing jobs, and I found an opportunity that fit my abilities, experience, and future plans perfectly. It was exactly what I wanted - close to my friends, came with a free apartment, used my talents, and offered exciting challenges. I mentioned it to my friend, and she applied and got it! I was furious! I cried for a week. I was so angry at my friend, and I hardly saw her for a few weeks. I ended up taking a six-month contract position far away from my friends, that didn’t pay as well, and was less interesting, doing something that was more difficult for me.

In those six months, I learned so much! I was living far away from people I knew, so I had to go outside my comfort zone to meet new people. I learned new skills at work, and new personal skills that helped me as a human being. I made so many new friends, including my boyfriend, whom I am hoping to marry. I am so thankful that I took that job.

And then, after my six-month contract finished, my friend arranged an opening at the other company for me, and now we are working together. And even though I am very happy at my dream job now, I’m half considering going back to the second-choice job, which made me a better person, in a year or two.

So I guess God knew what He was doing after all! Does anybody else have a story like this? Have you ever prayed for something you didn’t get, and realized later that you were better off without it?
 
It all came out good in the end because of God yes.

But your friend did something she probably knew she shouldn’t have unless you mean everyone was open to apply in which case the best person gets the job.

It is understandably frustrating when you are about to get something and someone gets it before you, namely a friend.

I have heard the song before and found it rather interesting, glad to see things worked out well for you in the end.

God Bless
 
Absolutely!

I can remember praying for a specific intention regarding a person I wanted in my life.

During the time I was praying for this, I got to know him better and better - and discovered he was a con man!

If I had gone only on my first impressions I would have ended up in a world of hurt. But because God allowed me to use my faith and my reason I ended up learning a lot about myself and how easy it is to get caught up in a con, even for very smart people.

Thank you, Jesus, for REALLY answering my prayer!
 
LSK said:
Absolutely!

I can remember praying for a specific intention regarding a person I wanted in my life.

During the time I was praying for this, I got to know him better and better - and discovered he was a con man!

If I had gone only on my first impressions I would have ended up in a world of hurt. But because God allowed me to use my faith and my reason I ended up learning a lot about myself and how easy it is to get caught up in a con, even for very smart people.

Thank you, Jesus, for REALLY answering my prayer!
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Nice 🙂
 
Just_wondering said:
I’m not really a country music fan, but I heard this song by Garth Brooks (I think) called Unanswered Prayers. The theme of it is that people don’t always know what’s best for them, and if God doesn’t answer your prayers there’s a good reason for it. “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”
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I like that song, did they play it in Korea?
 
No, I downloaded it. American music in Korea is limited to Britney Spears and Eminem, for the most part.:ouch:
 
My first obvious experience with “unanswered prayers” was when I was on jury duty. At the time I was out of the Church. We were in deliberations. The jury was composed of myself, two other intelligent persons and four idiots. I am not exaggerating. They were dumber than a box of rocks. We were in Federal court–thus the seven jurors.

We were so stuck. I was basically leading the charge for one side while the one intelligent construction worker and the four idiots were on the other. One guy in particular was trying to intimidate me. I was so angry and upset. They more they pushed me, the more I stood my ground.

Finally, out of some grace, I said, “let’s pray about it.”

Weird o rama. I had never before led or even suggested a prayer before. I wasn’t even practicing the Faith.

So, I led a prayer, thanking God and asking for wisdom. But…in my head, I was saying, “God, change the mind of these idiots.”

Guess whose mind was changed–a different idiot (me).

It was the first time that I learned that prayer changes the one who prays as much or more than the object of the prayer.

It was one of my first steps back into a life of Grace. I returned to the Church a year later.
 
I broke up with my first fiance’ and that was painful. Thank goodness that God didn’t lead me to my first love or grant my prayers about him. I am now very happily married to someone else who is the most wonderful husband on the face of the earth.🙂
 
deb1 said:
I broke up with my first fiance’ and that was painful. Thank goodness that God didn’t lead me to my first love or grant my prayers about him. I am now very happily married to someone else who is the most wonderful husband on the face of the earth.🙂
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Fiance, so you were engaged, and to break up during that, that’s gotta have hurt then. Glad you found happiness though 🙂
 
Once I was teaching at a school in which the headmaster was making life miserable for me, harassing me and such like…I prayed for the strength to finish out the year but by April I was exhausted. I quit after a demeaning interview with the headmaster (just walked out) and found out that I didn’t need all the emotional garbage I was putting up with.
I have always been glad I just upped and walked out on that job. Instead of giving me the strength to finish the year, God gave me the impetus to leave a situation that was clearly unhealthy for me.
Now I have a great job with a boss who thinks I am terrific! And my old boss was fired after I filed a complaint against him.
Thank God for unanswered prayers!
 
i went through something like this…
i was working for a client where i was doing really long hours and getting more and more tired… but i kept doing my best!
then they got me a different client and i had to work for two jobs at the same time… i did not get any time off for myself at alll…
and the second client was treating me so badly…
i kept asking god why this was happening to me…
fortunately, it ended in 4 weeks through a series of mishaps… comedy of errors and i got a job really close to home with wonderful people and all becos i kept doing my job right!!

God does work in mysterious ways his wonders to perform!
 
This happened to my parents many years ago. They were blessed with 9 children and needed a larger home in a better neighborhood. Through much prayer and even a Novena, they were trying to get a new house in a decent area, but the deal fell through and they did not get it.

They were heart broken and did not understand why their prayers had not been answered. About 6 months later, the fiinance company they were dealing with went bankrupt - the contractors were coming in to people’s homes and pulling out water heaters and other equipment that had not been paid for and there were many lawsuits filed.

A couple of years later, my parents were able to find a better home in an even better location. It was a good lesson for me about “unanswered” prayer and I know that no prayer is unanswered - sometimes the answer is NO.
 
Yes, I have such stories. It would be pretty boring to list all, so let’s just say it has mostly involved certain girls I wouldn’t have been happy with overall. I had a head full of romantic ideas and a heart ready to get attached beyond the normal limits of this age. I still have both, but I’ve developed a healthy sense of reason and some resilience.

The last days, I’ve been praying to dodge the draft because the military medical commission decided I was fit for active service despite the fact I spit blood after running 200-300 metres. But it looks like with a degree, you no longer serve the standard draft for a private rank, but you do cadet training for 3 months, just without going the whole way through officer training, even completely flunking the physical part doesn’t flunk the whole exam, and the P.E. reminiscence involved isn’t so horribe according to what people say, so all in all, it may help me become a tougher man and add another funny twist to the history of my life because all the amateur sportsmen are for some reason unfit for service, whereas I, the geek always excused or downright forbidden from attending P.E. classes (doesn’t mean I didn’t play football with both feet qualified for a surgery or walk 30 km through sand and wind…), will probably end up having served it. Will I chuckle… Simply put, I discovered I can’t really dodge the draft. I mean, I can appeal the medical ruling or I can delay it until summer break so it doesn’t mess up my studies, but the more I pray about it, the more I find myself at peace and it feels like dodging it altogether would fail the people who had to grab guns in WW1 or WW2 no matter age, education or sometimes even gender. So… yeah.
 
Chevalier, where are you located at that you still have the draft? Or am I reading your post incorrectly?
 
deb1 said:
Chevalier, where are you located at that you still have the draft? Or am I reading your post incorrectly?
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That’s a good question. We have a selective service system in the US for which men have to register, but it hasn’t been activiated since Viet Nam.
 
We call our youngest daughter our unanswered prayer.

When my period was later and later and I started having a sinking feeling that I might be pregnant I prayed, dear God, please don’t let me be pregnant, please don’t let me be pregnant.

She is now 8 years old, and if I had any inkling of how much joy she was going to bring to our lives, we wouldn’t have made God give her to us over our objections.
 
deb1 said:
Chevalier, where are you located at that you still have the draft? Or am I reading your post incorrectly?
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Ahhh… I live on the continent. 🙂 Poland has a long tradition of male citizens being soldiers in the modern sense of the world (not as all males being warriors). The draft is so much in everyone’s head that an entirely professional army won’t be there at least before 2012. The way it’s so deeply routed is also why I’d have a big moral problem dodging it the way one dodges a useless formality or an absurd fee, even if I do feel I’m not quite fit for service if I spit blood after running 300 yards with my asthma. The problem is that I have good results in medical examinations on a fresh organism, but it doesn’t include what happens after a while of physical effort. After running at full speed for a couple of minutes, I need an hour to get my breath back to normal and I wouldn’t even dream of running with a full-laden backpack. Today I’m seeing the surgeon who operated my jaw two years ago and I’ll see what he says. I have some other appointments set, too. We’ll see where this goes. I’ve noticed some improvement in my physical ability over the last years. Maybe I’ll be able to survive it.
 
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