My Faith has wiltered QUESTION from Christine Maynard June 24, 2000
Hello.
Just out of curiousity, why is it that God/Elia won't answer your prayers of questions immediately? And why is it we have free will, yet we must follow God's plan for us even if it brings much suffering. I feel sometimes that this is oppression. And why is it God gives others what you pray for? Just out of curiousity....
Thank you very very much for taking the time out to read my questions.
Pax Felinica, Christine Maynard
ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius, O.L.S.M. on July 24, 2000 Dear Miss Maynard:
Please know that God loves you. He is with you even if He doesn't seem to be. (Remember the Footsteps in the Sand poem?)
The Father, like any Father, is waiting for you to hold out your hand to Him. Hold it out! He will take your hand.
As far as prayer is concerned God answers ALL prayer immediately. The answer to our prayers may be: NO, YES, MAYBE, LATER. He does answer us, it is just that we may not like the answer -- just like a child may not like the answer given to her by her biological father.
We have free will because God loves us. He loves us so much that He is not willing to have us worship Him as robots, but to worship Him because we CHOOSE to worship Him. Free Will is the freedom to choose God. Our Love is the act of choosing God.
Just like in a marriage, love forbears all things. If we love God we love Him through the thick and thin. We love Him even when He seems distant. But in actuality, He is never distant, rather we are distant from Him.
Whenever we find ourselves feeling distant we need to remember the Footsteps in the Sand poem. That poem is absolutely correct.
As to why we suffer when we choose God? We suffer when we choose God because we live in a fallen world. The world does not like God and thus the world will treat us badly because of it. The devil does not like God, so the devil will try to trip us up and make us miserable or otherwise try to trap us, because of his hatred of God. And our own fallen human nature acts against us too. Our egos and pride wants to DO IT MY WAY, instead of doing it God's way. All these things serve to cause suffering in our lives.
But as Mother Angelica said one time: Satan promises you pleasure but ultimately will give you suffering. God promises suffering and offers you peace.
Anytime we are tempted to take the pleasurable way out, anytime we are tempted to give-up on God because it appears we are promised an easier life without Him, that is Satan talking.
The devil wants to rob you of your joy in the Holy Spirit. Joy does not come from lack of suffering. Joy comes from the knowledge that God loves you through the suffering. But the old liar the devil will try to convince you to give up that joy through promises that leaving God will stop the suffering. It won't in the long run.
Life without God in the long run gains NOTHING but suffering. And ultimately it gains eternal suffering without love, with God.
God loves you and He will give you what you need. He will give you what id best for you.
When a little child asks for ten candy bars, the father says no. The little child is upset, but the father KNOWS BEST what is best for his little girl.
Our Father in Heaven knows PERFECTLY what is best for our soul. Thus sometimes God says no to what may seem like a perfectly reasonable prayer because He KNOWS that to give that request to you will harm your soul. You may not realize that, but He KNOWS that.
God is not a liar. He will take care of our needs according to what is best for us. We need to trust in Him and continue to pray.
AS to given to others what you have prayed for? God never does that. God give to others what THEY pray for and what THEY need and from what is best for THEM. What He gives to others has nothing to do with you. He deals with each of us INDIVIDUALLY and cares and loves each one of us INDIVIDUALLY. He doesn't take your toys and give them to others. He gives YOU what YOU need according to what He knows is best for YOU.
I would suggest that you go to the nearest Catholic Church and spend some time sitting in front of the Tabernacle and talk to God. Tell him how you feel. Then BE QUIET for a LONG TIME, for 30 minutes at least, and let Him talk to you.
Do this daily, or as often as you can. I guarantee, if you open your heart to Him and reach out to your hand, He will take your hand and fill your heart to overflowing.
We will pray for you.
God Bless.
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