Looking for an answer

[BlueTack]

Hello, I've never been on a site like this before but i'm stuck! I'm not trying to be argumentative or annoying, I want an answer and a different outcome to the one that i've come to.

I'm in a beyond desperate situation with my health at the moment, for some context, when things get more than I can understand I journal to help make sense of my thoughts/prayers. Whilst doing this, I decided to go through the lyrics of one of my favorite worship songs. Mighty to Save. Then I would go through and pick it apart. The first line goes like this "Everyone needs compassion, the kindness of a savior. The hope of nations"

I agree with that, a solid yes. My main question would then be, if we need Him, WHERE IS HE?!

I know the stock answer is that He is there when we need him when we let him into our lives and blah, blah, blah... but why?

Why if an all loving God was up there, would he need us first to tell him that we love him before he can help us. The sins of the world are what bought the downfall and we have free choise thats why evil happens. I guess we're getting closer to the real question WHY DOES EVIL HAPPEN & more importantly to good people?

I have sat through a lot of prechers explain this with mainly the above outcome. Please can someone help me understand this? I realise this is long winded but I feel I needed to explain my situation to understand where the question was coming from????

Again, I dont really know how this works. If anyone has anything that could be helpful please comment.

 

[Pegg]

Hello, I've never been on a site like this before but i'm stuck! I'm not trying to be argumentative or annoying, I want an answer and a different outcome to the one that i've come to.

I'm in a beyond desperate situation with my health at the moment, for some context, when things get more than I can understand I journal to help make sense of my thoughts/prayers. Whilst doing this, I decided to go through the lyrics of one of my favorite worship songs. Mighty to Save. Then I would go through and pick it apart. The first line goes like this "Everyone needs compassion, the kindness of a savior. The hope of nations"

I agree with that, a solid yes. My main question would then be, if we need Him, WHERE IS HE?!

I know the stock answer is that He is there when we need him when we let him into our lives and blah, blah, blah... but why?

Why if an all loving God was up there, would he need us first to tell him that we love him before he can help us. The sins of the world are what bought the downfall and we have free choise thats why evil happens. I guess we're getting closer to the real question WHY DOES EVIL HAPPEN & more importantly to good people?

I have sat through a lot of prechers explain this with mainly the above outcome. Please can someone help me understand this? I realise this is long winded but I feel I needed to explain my situation to understand where the question was coming from????

Again, I dont really know how this works. If anyone has anything that could be helpful please comment.

If you really think that God has not been actively putting his plan for salvation into motion, you need to spend a few minutes and examine exactly whats been happening over the past 6,000 years.

Man fell, God issued the decree that a savior was needed. Over the next 4,000 years, God chose a man to be the father of a nation, allowed time for that nation to grow and aqcuire the promised land, he then chose the woman to bring the Messiah into the world and 2,000 years ago the foundation for a heavenly kingdom was established.

Whats been happening since that time? Christianity has spread around the world and gone out into all nations just as Jesus said it would, the name of God is being proclaimed, the truths about the kingdom are being proclaimed and millions of people are responding and bringing their lives into harmony with God and his requirements.

why are they doing that?

Because they know that very soon, Gods kingdom will go into action...and they want to be prepared for when that happens. And when it does happen, the changes that Jesus promised by means of his rulership will begin to take effect.

 

[Aasheikh1]

Life is full of tests. God tests us to see how we react to calamities and what not. We know in the end that it is HIM who is in control of our fate. We should accept what has befallen us and strive with patience. Do you not see that if God tests a person with calamity because of his sin, and he bears it with patience and gratitude, God, may He be exalted, will forgive him his sin, raise him in status in Paradise and give him the reward of those who are patient and seek reward with Him?

Thus, as a general principle, an individual, according to the Islam, may be faced with extreme 'hard times' for any of the following reasons:

1. The person faced with the particular situation is tested with such a situation while others are made to realize the blessings of God and the privileges that they enjoy in life. Such a situation normally is to point out to others the great blessings of God that we tend to take for granted. A normal person suddenly loses his eyesight and is turned into a blind. This extra-ordinary event in the life of one person may point out to others the great blessing of "eyes that see", which we normally tend to ignore in our lives and may also help us realize the duties that are incumbent upon us for enjoying this extra-ordinary privilege in life. On the other hand, the particular individual faced with such a situation is tested for his steadfastness and perseverance in the God's ways. Our hardships, normally, fall into this category. The ideal attitude that we all must aspire to develop is that every time a hardship comes our way, we should consider it an opportunity of success in our ultimate life and pray to God to help us succeed in this test.
2. Sometimes God selects a person, on the basis of His absolute knowledge, to behave as an epitome of gratitude toward God for all those around him. In such cases, the primary objective of putting an individual through an extremely severe situation is to teach others of the correct attitude of thankfulness and gratitude toward their Lord. In this situation, others are made to see the individual's faithful and thankful behavior toward his Creator in a very severe situation and thereby realize the importance of the good things God has given them and also to compare their own behavior with that of the person put in such a severe situation. The basic difference between this situation and the one described in number 1 above is from the particular individual's perspective that is taken through such extra-ordinary situation. In number 1, it is primarily a test for the individual, while in number 2, it is a privilege for the particular individual that he is selected by God for the purpose of teaching others of the right attitude and to act as an example for them. An example of this may be seen in the life of Prophet Job.
   
3. To cleanse an individual of the bad deeds that he might - knowingly or unknowingly - have committed in the past. If the person remains steadfast and faithful to his Lord in this cleansing process, all his bad deeds are washed away in the life of this world, which guarantees his success in the life hereafter.
4. To punish an individual for his general attitude of transgression against God in life In such a situation the severe condition is only a preamble for the real punishment that the person shall face in the life hereafter.

I hope this helps.

 

[chinu]

Hello, I've never been on a site like this before but i'm stuck! I'm not trying to be argumentative or annoying, I want an answer and a different outcome to the one that i've come to.

I'm in a beyond desperate situation with my health at the moment, for some context, when things get more than I can understand I journal to help make sense of my thoughts/prayers. Whilst doing this, I decided to go through the lyrics of one of my favorite worship songs. Mighty to Save. Then I would go through and pick it apart. The first line goes like this "Everyone needs compassion, the kindness of a savior. The hope of nations"

I agree with that, a solid yes. My main question would then be, if we need Him, WHERE IS HE?!

Actuallly you do not need him, you need his help,
You are looking for the answer, not him,
Thus.. the answer is ; God is not your servant who have come in front you when you need him.

 

[Quintessence]

Are you looking strictly for responses from people with a particular religious background? I ask because it sounds as if that might be what serves you best, and if so, I would encourage you to ask a moderator to move this thread in to its respective DIR.

 

[Windwalker]

Why if an all loving God was up there, would he need us first to tell him that we love him before he can help us.

There are many ways to approach looking at what God is. But I think in all of them there is a simple truth, regardless of how someone frames God in their understanding. What my experience teaches me is that what God offers is already yours, fully. The only thing that withholds it from us, is ourselves withholding it from ourselves. To love God, is to lay down your fears and clinging to the need for answers, and to simply allow what God is to be in ourselves. Experiencing that, changes our concerns. It is about release. As you release, you allow.

I don't see God as "out there", or "up there" holding some keys high above you if you can just jump far enough. You already have that Answer. You just have to find in yourself how to allow it.

That's my experience.

 

[YmirGF]

There are many ways to approach looking at what God is. But I think in all of them there is a simple truth, regardless of how someone frames God in their understanding. What my experience teaches me is that what God offers is already yours, fully. The only thing that withholds it from us, is ourselves withholding it from ourselves. To love God, is to lay down your fears and clinging to the need for answers, and to simply allow what God is to be in ourselves. Experiencing that, changes our concerns. It is about release. As you release, you allow.

I don't see God as "out there", or "up there" holding some keys high above you if you can just jump far enough. You already have that Answer. You just have to find in yourself how to allow it.

That's my experience.

:clap:clap:clap

Love is the gift you give yourself.

 

[Gharib]

Hello, I've never been on a site like this before but i'm stuck! I'm not trying to be argumentative or annoying, I want an answer and a different outcome to the one that i've come to.

I'm in a beyond desperate situation with my health at the moment, for some context, when things get more than I can understand I journal to help make sense of my thoughts/prayers. Whilst doing this, I decided to go through the lyrics of one of my favorite worship songs. Mighty to Save. Then I would go through and pick it apart. The first line goes like this "Everyone needs compassion, the kindness of a savior. The hope of nations"

I agree with that, a solid yes. My main question would then be, if we need Him, WHERE IS HE?!

I know the stock answer is that He is there when we need him when we let him into our lives and blah, blah, blah... but why?

Why if an all loving God was up there, would he need us first to tell him that we love him before he can help us. The sins of the world are what bought the downfall and we have free choise thats why evil happens. I guess we're getting closer to the real question WHY DOES EVIL HAPPEN & more importantly to good people?

I have sat through a lot of prechers explain this with mainly the above outcome. Please can someone help me understand this? I realise this is long winded but I feel I needed to explain my situation to understand where the question was coming from????

Again, I dont really know how this works. If anyone has anything that could be helpful please comment.

Hi BlueTack, welcome to RF.

If you don't mind I will try and explain this from an Islamic perspective.

Regarding your question of why God only hears us once we believe in him or where is he when we need him, the Qur'an, which Muslims believe is the direct word of God says:

2:186 And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.

From that verse, Allah answers our prayers when we call onto him and we should respond to him in return with obedience and belief.

As for why bad things happen to good people, Islam says two things:

1. The bad which is happening to you is a punishment for previous sins. This is a Mercy from God. Being punished in this life means that you face no punishment in the hereafter as we only get punished once. And out of the two, the punishment of this life is much less than that of the hereafter.

2. The bad which is happening is a test. One must endure it with patience. This means that God is testing you regardless of how good you have been. If you have had a good life up until now, that too was a trial. And if what seems as bad is happening to you now then this too is a trial, the trials of difficulty are best overcome with patience.

Anther thing which Islam says is that Allah doesn't send calamities/difficulties upon people whom he doesn't love and whom he doesn't wish to guide. It is during times of difficulty that we turn to God, even though we may have never believed he existed. This is God seeking you to believe in him.

However, there are 2 kinds of people. The first kind are those who when they have good health and much wealth, they forget God and turn their backs on him. While at times of hardships and of poverty, they remember God much. And the other kind of person is the opposite to this first person.

You may not be very familiar with Islam nor Prophet Muhammed, however, Islam teaches that the best person out of all humans who worshiped and loved God the most was Muhammed. But, if you look into his life and go through his biography you will find that he suffered the most compared to all other humans. This is God sending difficulties upon him so that he may realize how helpless he is and in turn worship God and rely solely upon him for everything.

I hope this post is helpful to you.

 

[RGA1459]

If the commonly expressed views of most Christians don't satisfy you (which is exactly how I feel, very strongly), then try reading about some other traditions. They can and may give you a fresh perspective to bring into your studying of the bible. If it be the will of Yahveh that you should know the answer to the questions that you ask, it will be. However, the fact that you are doubtful and confused seems to me that you do not have a whole understanding of "Christ" or "God". These are things to think deeply of. You cannot take something out of the deep end of and put in the shallow end and expect it to be wholly received. How can Christ manifest in form if you do not know Christ in spirit? I hope this post was insightful to you, and I hope you find what you're looking for.

 

[Windwalker]

However, the fact that you are doubtful and confused seems to me that you do not have a whole understanding of "Christ" or "God". These are things to think deeply of. You cannot take something out of the deep end of and put in the shallow end and expect it to be wholly received. How can Christ manifest in form if you do not know Christ in spirit?

This brings to mind the Zen saying, "Great Doubt: Great Enlightenment. No Doubt: No Enlightenment."

In my previous circles they would teach doubt was the devil talking to you, trying to steal your faith and send you to hell. This view kept the spirit in a prison of beliefs that avoided looking into that place where Truth is known. Doubt is the arm of God to break down obstacles that inhibit you from knowing that deeper truth, especially those beliefs that conveniently define and limit God for us to tell ourselves we're safe and secure if we hold them. Doubt brings you to the place of letting go of that false security in the quest to know Truth. Doubt challenges beliefs for a reason.

 

[4consideration]

There are many ways to approach looking at what God is. But I think in all of them there is a simple truth, regardless of how someone frames God in their understanding. What my experience teaches me is that what God offers is already yours, fully. The only thing that withholds it from us, is ourselves withholding it from ourselves. To love God, is to lay down your fears and clinging to the need for answers, and to simply allow what God is to be in ourselves. Experiencing that, changes our concerns. It is about release. As you release, you allow.

I don't see God as "out there", or "up there" holding some keys high above you if you can just jump far enough. You already have that Answer. You just have to find in yourself how to allow it.

That's my experience.

Yes. My experience as well.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

I suspect I am on the last section of my life... This is neither good nor bad.
Jesus died and was resurrected , Partly to show us what we might be required to endure. And also that life on earth is finite even for him.
I do not believe we are resurrected to another life, but that we return to God.

When we pray to God, just as Jesus did at the last, we pray that God will do with us as he desires, what ever that may entail.
It may be we have done everything in this life that was planned for us, or there may be other things we are yet to do.
It is not about reward or punishment, it comes down to what is God's will.

Unlike a reply given in a post above. Sickness and trouble is never a punishment from God. It is the nature of all life to be susceptible to trauma and disease and to suffer the misfortunes of life, but also to have times of Joy and happiness.

These things are not rewards or tests they are simply what befalls us in the course of our lives.
God always answers prayers , but answers them in ways that work towards his ultimate plan.
We will be there, to see that eventual unfolding... however little we have contributed to it.

He has chosen us to be part of that plan, and he will give us the necessary strength and love and comfort to play our part.

 

[RGA1459]

You make a good point Windwalker. My doubts are what led me to the place I am today, and it seems like I could say that for the both of us, although I never thought about it in those terms. @ BlueTack I hope you're taking notes, cause this is blowing my mind a little bit.

 

[WyattDerp]

I don't have an answer, but I have a quote I like.

"In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God." -- Aeschylus

 

[Freedomelf]

Why if an all loving God was up there, would he need us first to tell him that we love him before he can help us.

If you think of God as a parent, and then think of your own children, ask yourself if you, as a parent, would need your child to jump through hoops, or to say "I love you, Mommy and Daddy" before you helped him or her if your child was in pain. That kind of reminds me of a trainer forcing a dog to bark or roll over before he or she gives them a treat.

Naturally, all parents reward children for good behavior and punish those who behave badly; that's a given. But to withhold help from a child who needs it, just because they haven't said the right prayers, believed in a specific doctrine, attended the correct church or performed the correct ritual, nope, I don't buy it.

Now, rather than debate in this thread, let me just say welcome to the forum, and may you find peace and blessings here.

 

[xkandakex]

Hello, I've never been on a site like this before but i'm stuck! I'm not trying to be argumentative or annoying, I want an answer and a different outcome to the one that i've come to.

I'm in a beyond desperate situation with my health at the moment, for some context, when things get more than I can understand I journal to help make sense of my thoughts/prayers. Whilst doing this, I decided to go through the lyrics of one of my favorite worship songs. Mighty to Save. Then I would go through and pick it apart. The first line goes like this "Everyone needs compassion, the kindness of a savior. The hope of nations"

I agree with that, a solid yes. My main question would then be, if we need Him, WHERE IS HE?!

I know the stock answer is that He is there when we need him when we let him into our lives and blah, blah, blah... but why?

Why if an all loving God was up there, would he need us first to tell him that we love him before he can help us. The sins of the world are what bought the downfall and we have free choise thats why evil happens. I guess we're getting closer to the real question WHY DOES EVIL HAPPEN & more importantly to good people?

I have sat through a lot of prechers explain this with mainly the above outcome. Please can someone help me understand this? I realise this is long winded but I feel I needed to explain my situation to understand where the question was coming from????

Again, I dont really know how this works. If anyone has anything that could be helpful please comment.

Do you feel that your illness is an act of evil, or an evil thing in general?

 

[Knight of Albion]

Er ... Isn't this thread 20 months old? And the OP hasn't been back since?
Lets hope he found the answer he was looking for ...

 

[DawudTalut]

Hello, I've never been on a site like this before but i'm stuck! I'm not trying to be argumentative or annoying, I want an answer and a different outcome to the one that i've come to.

I'm in a beyond desperate situation with my health at the moment, for some context, when things get more than I can understand I journal to help make sense of my thoughts/prayers. Whilst doing this, I decided to go through the lyrics of one of my favorite worship songs. Mighty to Save. Then I would go through and pick it apart. The first line goes like this "Everyone needs compassion, the kindness of a savior. The hope of nations"

I agree with that, a solid yes. My main question would then be, if we need Him, WHERE IS HE?!

I know the stock answer is that He is there when we need him when we let him into our lives and blah, blah, blah... but why?

Why if an all loving God was up there, would he need us first to tell him that we love him before he can help us. The sins of the world are what bought the downfall and we have free choise thats why evil happens. I guess we're getting closer to the real question WHY DOES EVIL HAPPEN & more importantly to good people?

I have sat through a lot of prechers explain this with mainly the above outcome. Please can someone help me understand this? I realise this is long winded but I feel I needed to explain my situation to understand where the question was coming from????

Again, I dont really know how this works. If anyone has anything that could be helpful please comment.

Peace be on you. Welcome. May good health is granted to you.

In Islam, Allah is Al-Rabb (Sustainer), Al-Rahman (Gracious, Who grants even without a request) , He is Al-Raheem (Repeats mercy, Grants with request). These attributes appear in the beginning of Quran.......He is Maalik (Owner) ..........Al-Shafi (The Curer) Al-Kafi (The Sufficient), So one can get benefit from these attributes in prayers.

 

[Smart_Guy]

Yo, are you still there?