Why does God answer my prayers but not starving children's?

[snarflemike]

Okay, let’s take all the people in need into account.

So… what is the reason God doesn’t answer their prayers?

I know the Bruce Almighty scenario and that is very different. I mean people who are truly in need. Is there a reason why God doesn’t answer all their prayers? Or is this just some mystery of life we have to accept?

In the first place, I think we can all agree that people don’t always pray for what they should be praying for. In the second place, God has a final intention for all of us, which is eternity in heaven with him. If he answered all of our prayers, would we ever get to heaven? If life was extremely good here on earth, wouldn’t we pray not to die and leave it, or pray that those we love not die and leave us? In mathematical terms, life on earth, if God answered all our prayers, would be a local maxima that prevented us from ever attaining the ultimate maxima of heaven.

So the reason God doesn’t answer all of our prayers the way we want him to, is that his goal is to perfect us and bring us to heaven, not to give us an idyllic life here on earth. Keep in mind also that life on earth would be much more idyllic if we actually did his will, but we don’t. When we do do his will, and feed that starving child, for example, not only does the child get food but we advance in charity and perfection. That is the best of all outcomes, but we don’t do his will all the time.

But in any case, if that starving child ends up in heaven, can you say God was wrong not to feed it here on earth? And if that starving child chooses hell (we must allow for the possibility), would it have mattered how much food the child had on earth?

 

[Boulder257]

In the first place, I think we can all agree that people don’t always pray for what they should be praying for. In the second place, God has a final intention for all of us, which is eternity in heaven with him. If he answered all of our prayers, would we ever get to heaven? If life was extremely good here on earth, wouldn’t we pray not to die and leave it, or pray that those we love not die and leave us? In mathematical terms, life on earth, if God answered all our prayers, would be a local maxima that prevented us from ever attaining the ultimate maxima of heaven.

So the reason God doesn’t answer all of our prayers the way we want him to, is that his goal is to perfect us and bring us to heaven, not to give us an idyllic life here on earth. Keep in mind also that life on earth would be much more idyllic if we actually did his will, but we don’t. When we do do his will, and feed that starving child, for example, not only does the child get food but we advance in charity and perfection. That is the best of all outcomes, but we don’t do his will all the time.

But in any case, if that starving child ends up in heaven, can you say God was wrong not to feed it here on earth? And if that starving child chooses hell (we must allow for the possibility), would it have mattered how much food the child had on earth?

That gave me alot to think about.

 

[PetrusRomanus]

Man does not live on bread alone.

Maybe these childrens’ rewards are that much greater in Heaven, for they have suffered much here on earth, may even be their purgatory?

As someone said earlier, God answers all, maybe not in the way we want (at the moment) though.