life goes on.
Picking up on the old story, in January of 2004 M & I had two small children and sleep was not a reliable friend to us. People told us back then that it would pass, but when you’re in the shadow of the one cloud in an otherwise blue sky it’s hard to understand that it’s not just a dark day. We were catching sleep when the kids allowed it – C being 3 yrs old and L being just several months old. I don’t know why kids insist on taking turns sleeping when they won’t politely take turns at anything else.
I was operating a private charity law firm and although God was providing our needs and we were thankful, we were squeaking by financially. As I said, looking back I see that those times were a small spot in our lives, but when we were under the cloud it didn’t seem temporary.
I recorded several of my prayer issues of January 2004, and looking back, some were answered with a yes, some with a no, and some neither, as far as I can tell. This is an interesting thing. I’ve heard a lot of people through the years insist that God always answers prayers and that sometimes we just mistake a “no” for a non-answer. I honestly do not subscribe to this idea, and I’m interested in the thoughts of the widely varied readers of this. Please help here. I have more to say on point, but I want to hear some perspectives first. In the WordPress comment section as opposed to Facebook, to facilitate a singular thread. I hope this works.
The question: Does God always answer all prayers? I feel like I should define “answer,” so what I mean by that is an affirmative or negative response relevant to the request. I’m suggesting He ignores some. I’m not even suggesting that’s a bad thing, anymore than me not answering all my kids’ requests.
So again now, does God answer all prayers?
I think ignoring is an answer. Ignoring is a way of saying “no” or “not now.” The definition of answer is: “a thing said, written, or done to deal with or as a reaction to a question, statement, or situation.” And ignoring would be a response to a question.
The trouble with using the word “ignore” is the cold-heartedness that is conjured up by the word. Cold-hearted is not an accurate picture of God.
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I am afraid I need a definition of “cuts people off from himself” before I can answer. The Israelites did not hear from God for hundreds of years at the point between the Old Testament and the New. I suppose you could say they were “cut off” during that period, but the Bible describes it as they had not had a word from the Lord during that time. I agree we should not fread His voice into His silence. We should not take His silence as a no or as permission. I, as a human, am better taking it as a “wait” even if it is not a “wait.” It helps me deal with the silence.
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Nice post
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Thank you
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I think He answers all prayers. The timing of His answers is another matter. Sometimes I think He says, “Hang on. Let me get back with you.” Maybe He says also, “not yet.”
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Do you believe he ignored his family or cuts people off from himself at times? It sure looks like that to me. Even David wrote psalms about this. I’m just convinced I shouldn’t read His voice into His silence.
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