is God real?

[Prodigal Son]

you know, i've always believed in God. i grew up catholic. what i don't get now, maybe what i've never gotten, is who he is? why does he answer some prayers and not others? what are the rules on prayers getting answered? why won't he just tell us so we can stop asking?

everyone says: go to him. ask him. he'll answer. he'll deliver.

he'll deliver?! he'll deliever...when! deliverace would have been him stopping my father from raping my sister as i sat in the room next door listening and praying---"crying out" to him. how could he stand by and watch that and not do anything about it? deliverance would have been someone listening and getting us out of that house. but no one did. we got ourselves out.

i cried out, i cried out until i went hoarse: "please, God, i can't take another beating. please, God, save me, i can't make it another day. please, God, make it stop. please, God, help me, help us."

there was never an answer--NEVER!

both of my brothers have been in jail. my younger brother's a drug addict. my sister's long been gone. and me, there's not much to say about me.

but i feel it's his fault. he stood by and watched me become who i became; watched them become who they became; watched my sister take her own life. and now he calls on ME? "come here, follow me and i will show you the way. come and i will teach you how to be. come a little closer so i can hear you better and fix you." he MADE me this way.

for what reason?

my wife still won't talk to me. i went to see her and i prayed the entire way. i begged God to show me what to do. so it ends up i lose my temper and threaten to kill her . it just happened; like i didn't even have time to think about it. how can that be part of a wonderful, gracious, perfect plan? so, how is that not his fault?

how? because i really don't understand and i am wondering if i hate him right now. i'm wondering if he's really real.

[bizzt]

you know, i've always believed in God. i grew up catholic. what i don't get now, maybe what i've never gotten, is who he is? why does he answer some prayers and not others? what are the rules on prayers getting answered? why won't he just tell us so we can stop asking?

Tell me something... If one Prays what is that Person seeking. WHAT is the Will of God? He gives unto those who Truly Seek him. Prodigal I have no Idea of what your life is all about but I do know Serving God and PROCLAIMING who he is to the Nations is The MISSION! If we submit to that Mission then all these things will be added onto you!!!

Job 21:15 What [is] the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?

Job 33:26 He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.

Job 42:8 Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you [after your] folly, in that ye have not spoken of me [the thing which is] right, like my servant Job.

I would love to have the Faith that Job had and not only did he have the Faith to make it HE also became BLESSED because of that! note verse 42 : 8

everyone says: go to him. ask him. he'll answer. he'll deliver.

Maybe he has Answered but you are not listening. Keep asking him, KEEP SEEKING HIM!!! The most important is to do his Will.

he'll deliver?! he'll deliever...when! deliverace would have been him stopping my father from raping my sister as i sat in the room next door listening and praying---"crying out" to him. how could he stand by and watch that and not do anything about it? deliverance would have been someone listening and getting us out of that house. but no one did. we got ourselves out.

God never said Life would be Easy Prodigal. I bet the people in the Jet that Crashed into the Two Towers along with the people in the Two Towers never thought it would happen to them? Life is something you have to work with! You need to step up to the Challenges of Life and meet them Head on. You need to rebuke the Devil, evil etc... that is in your life and in the Lives of Others!

both of my brothers have been in jail. my younger brother's a drug addict. my sister's long been gone. and me, there's not much to say about me.

NOT much to say about you. You are Blood Bought By Jesus who Died on the Cross for you clearly Jesus that you meant alot to him! Stand up and be the Man Christ told you to be! You know exactly what you need to do SO DO IT! Get involved in your Church, GO ON A MISSIONARY!!! Make yourself Available to your First Love!!!

but i feel it's his fault. he stood by and watched me become who i became; watched them become who they became; watched my sister take her own life. and now he calls on ME? "come here, follow me and i will show you the way. come and i will teach you how to be. come a little closer so i can hear you better and fix you." he MADE me this way.

Sorry Prodigal those were your Choices not God's Some people live in a Crap Life BUT it is up to you to make the Best of it. God gave you the life NOW LIVE IT! Stop Blaming God for something he did not do. Start owning up to the responsibility. You don't like the way things Turned out then CHANGE IT! God gave you all the tools to do it all you have to do is put a little effort into it!

my wife still won't talk to me. i went to see her and i prayed the entire way. i begged God to show me what to do. so it ends up i lose my temper and threaten to kill her . it just happened; like i didn't even have time to think about it. how can that be part of a wonderful, gracious, perfect plan? so, how is that not his fault?

See you are trying to blame God for the Work of the Devil and your own Desire to do Bad. You have made some Wrong Choices Prodigal but not everything is lost! You can still do something with your life! Let it Go!! U Stumbled NOW Get up and do something that is right! It is not all about having Faith but to walk the Walk. It is a narrow Road to Walk and there are many Bumps and Stumbles along the Way but keep your Eyes on what Lies ahead not what bumps you are hitting now!

how? because i really don't understand and i am wondering if i hate him right now. i'm wondering if he's really real.

I am not even going to Answer this because you can answer that for yourself! Sorry for the Tough Love

[Felgar]

Just wanted to add that yeah, it sucks how we can be so influenced by the evil actions of another, esspecially our parents. But the flip side is that if they couldn't affect us, how could we be blessed by great parents? And would there be any good parents at all if there was no responsibility that came with parenthood. God gave us considerable freedom and control in how we live, but it's not His fault when we start doing evil.

Clearly you and your family suffered because of your father and what he has done. But God can heal any wound, and do His work in any situation if we let him. And God doesn't need you to be perfect - just to love Him and try to do His will. And right now, that has a lot to do with you showing unto others, the same unconditional love that He has given you. It also has to do with getting involved with other Christians; He has called us to fellowship with one another.

Bizzt also had a good suggestion with the trip. If you absolutely cannot handle your situation right now, head out on a missions trip and allow yourself to be a blessing to others. In that, your faith and walk with God will only grow. Plus you'd be surrounded by people of faith for an extended period of time which would do good also.

[j316]

I believe that there are two basic rules that apply to prayer.

You must be in fellowship with God to pray to him, and the prayed for action or result must fit within His plan for you.

There is another side to this, if you are in fellowship with God and are attempting to live by His guidance then you won't need to pray for yourself. Every thing you need will be provided for you. And if you should experience a need you will probably find that the answer was already on its way before you even noticed the problem.

When you get to this point you pray for others, this is what prayer is really all about and this is what the Lord is. We should be a prayer and a blessing to all those less fortunate than ourselves. I think Prodigal Son needs to look beyond himself.

[bizzt]

I believe that there are two basic rules that apply to prayer.

You must be in fellowship with God to pray to him, and the prayed for action or result must fit within His plan for you.

There is another side to this, if you are in fellowship with God and are attempting to live by His guidance then you won't need to pray for yourself. Every thing you need will be provided for you. And if you should experience a need you will probably find that the answer was already on its way before you even noticed the problem.

When you get to this point you pray for others, this is what prayer is really all about and this is what the Lord is. We should be a prayer and a blessing to all those less fortunate than ourselves. I think Prodigal Son needs to look beyond himself.

YUP

[Prodigal Son]

beyond myself? beyond myself to what?

[Kurieuo]

I believe God is concerned with with our character being refined and tested in this life, rather than taking away all pains in the here and now. I believe this is the reason why God doesn't always answer our prayers, even though we may pray for very good things. Yet, it is always good to pray to God to be by our side as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, rather than pray for God to take such a valley away. I believe it would tend to override God's purpose in creating this world if He began taking away all our pains at a drop of a prayer. I don't believe this world was to construct a hedonistic paradise whose inhabitants, or a select group of people such as Christians, would experience a maximum of pleasure and minimum of pain. Rather this world is to be viewed in some sense as a place of "soul making," where free beings can still enjoy life's pleasures, while having to grapple with life's pitfalls so that they may come out refined as by fire, their faith being proved genuine resulting in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1 Peter 1:6-7)

Just imagine how much more refined you may be in the end, and therefore how much more praise, glory and honour?

Kurieuo.

[Dan]

Notice how you're still asking questions, you're still looking for the truth, you might not feel it, but you're still looking for God.

You're still in the ring, you haven't given up. The situation is hopeless and there's nothing left in your life. Why would God put you through such an ordeal? Why? This is all messed up, it's cruel, it's horrible, no loving God would put you through this.

Yet you're still asking about Him? You're still here? Why? Because you want to believe.

That is why you have suffered the greatest tribulation out of all of us here on this forum. I can't say I've ever beent through a fraction of what you've been through. I've always asked God to test me and to punish me for sin, and the pain I feel every time I sin, every time I can't control myself, it kills me. But you, you've had the hardest life out of us all and you still ask for God to show Himself to you. You are perhaps one of the greatest men I've ever come in contact with, after your entire existance under a blazing sun of tribulation you still reach for something better. You're doing something right now I probably couldn't handle.

I can't not believe in God when someone like you looks for Him. If He can push people to work so hard, He must be real.

Now about your situation, I will pray for your child. I will pray you will be united. I will pray that your destiny is realized, I pray your salvation will come soon and the tribulation will end.

I will communicate to God your situation and I'll put myself behind it's end. I'm not much, I'm a dirty sinner, but I will ask everyone to pray for you. Everyone I know who is good and true.

I will pray for you this night and the night after and the night after until God gives you what you want, what you need.

[Felgar]

I will pray for you this night and the night after and the night after until God gives you what you want, what you need.

And I as well. The Devil has lost this one, and he'll be moving on soon.

[j316]

Dan, thank you for an excellent response to this situation, my heart feels good every time one of you comes up with something like that.

[Silvertusk]

you know, i've always believed in God. i grew up catholic. what i don't get now, maybe what i've never gotten, is who he is? why does he answer some prayers and not others? what are the rules on prayers getting answered? why won't he just tell us so we can stop asking?

everyone says: go to him. ask him. he'll answer. he'll deliver.

he'll deliver?! he'll deliever...when! deliverace would have been him stopping my father from raping my sister as i sat in the room next door listening and praying---"crying out" to him. how could he stand by and watch that and not do anything about it? deliverance would have been someone listening and getting us out of that house. but no one did. we got ourselves out.

i cried out, i cried out until i went hoarse: "please, God, i can't take another beating. please, God, save me, i can't make it another day. please, God, make it stop. please, God, help me, help us."

there was never an answer--NEVER!

both of my brothers have been in jail. my younger brother's a drug addict. my sister's long been gone. and me, there's not much to say about me.

but i feel it's his fault. he stood by and watched me become who i became; watched them become who they became; watched my sister take her own life. and now he calls on ME? "come here, follow me and i will show you the way. come and i will teach you how to be. come a little closer so i can hear you better and fix you." he MADE me this way.

for what reason?

my wife still won't talk to me. i went to see her and i prayed the entire way. i begged God to show me what to do. so it ends up i lose my temper and threaten to kill her . it just happened; like i didn't even have time to think about it. how can that be part of a wonderful, gracious, perfect plan? so, how is that not his fault?

how? because i really don't understand and i am wondering if i hate him right now. i'm wondering if he's really real.

Hi Prodgical.

I can't even begin to imagine what you have gone through and I am sorry for all the pain you have suffered. I don't know whether this will help and I apologise if I am out of my depth here but if I could tell you something I read. It was in a book called "Amazing Grace" by Phillip Yancey. His take on situations like yours was concerning a cycle of un-grace. The un-grace of your father has effected you in more ways than one. Because of the way you were treated I believe you are carrying a lot of hurt and are suffering inside. This is now being manifested onto your relationships and into your life in general. The cycle of un-grace is unbroken and still works its damage.

Jesus taught us to forgive our transgressors, forgive our enemies. He said this for a reason - cos the power of forgiving your enemies releases you from the burden of hate and sufferring because you have indeed moved on. This is easier said than done I know - but you need to forgive your father. Free yourself from the hate that is inside you and only then you can moved on. The cycle of un-grace is broken and you can moved forward then with grace.

This is what Jesus taught so IMHO God is real because he has already told you what to do. Instead of praying for God to do something to relieve your situation - try praying to God to give you the strength to forgive and move on. After then I hope you will realise that Gods love is still with you and still very powerful.

Again I apologise if I have made any assumptions which are not valid to you.

God Bless

Silvertusk.

[Prodigal Son]

if he wanted forgiveness, i would forgive him. God forgives those who ask for forgiveness.

my father still denies what he did to my sister. he calls me crazy and a liar when i bring it up. i saw it with my own eyes. my brothers saw it. i'm not those things.

he says i needed to get beat and my brothers. we "had the devil in us." so today, you know what, i do.

so i can't forgive him. he meant to hurt us. he still means to hurt me with every word he says. besides, he's not my father anymore. i've told him that. i hate him and i hate my mother even more for allowing all that to happen. when he dies, i am going to spit on his grave.

[Silvertusk]

if he wanted forgiveness, i would forgive him. God forgives those who ask for forgiveness.

my father still denies what he did to my sister. he calls me crazy and a liar when i bring it up. i saw it with my own eyes. my brothers saw it. i'm not those things.

he says i needed to get beat and my brothers. we "had the devil in us." so today, you know what, i do.

so i can't forgive him. he meant to hurt us. he still means to hurt me with every word he says. besides, he's not my father anymore. i've told him that. i hate him and i hate my mother even more for allowing all that to happen. when he dies, i am going to spit on his grave.

Yes - God Forgives us if we ask for it. But forgiveness is always there - us not accepting that forgiveness (i.e. repenting) does not mean that the act of forgiveness doesn't exist.

The same must occur between you and your father. You have offered your forgiveness and by that act you must release yourself of the burden of guilt and pain. Jesus said to love your enemy and turn the other cheek. He said that so that maybe your enemy will see the goodness in yourself and become good also - yes this is true - but also it allows the victim to release his/her hate and anger and become at peace with himself. The cycle of un-grace must not be allowed to continue as you will suffer more pain yourself and your family will also feel the burden of your sufferring.

Having your father refusing your act of forgiveness should not deny the fact that you want to forgive him. Your work is done and you should release yourself from this burden.

I hope you understand what I am trying to say because it is quite important. You have done no wrong and even if he doesn't accept it you should forgive your father and get on with your life and try to find peace with Gods help.

Maybe also you might try a different Christian denomination. Find a Church that concertrates more on God's Love other than God's wrath of sin which some Catholic Churches are unfortunately more inclined to do. Understand that you are loved no matter what you do or feel.

I pray that you will find peace with yourself

God Bless

Silvertusk