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Post by firefighter on Jun 20, 2008 16:09:37 GMT -5
I used to be a Christain but drifted away several years ago for several reasons.
Recently somebody has come into my life and has been trying to get me to come back to Him. Sometimes my friend will read the Bible to me as I fall asleep and every once in a while I let him pray.
He and his wife have been trying to have a baby for years. They have gone through several fertility treatments and tests but nothing worked.
Friday before last, she found out she is naturally pregnant!
Last friday the blood test showed the baby stopped growing and they were afraid the baby died. I started praying again - alot! I started going to church prayer meetings and spending hours a day on my knees and reading my bible. I am reading in Matthew. I noticed that Jesus seems to care about kids alot. He also mentioned that people were healed because they believed. The pastor of the church I went to said he believed the baby would live.
The doctors preformed a sono yesterday and didn't find the baby. They want the mother to abort. They will do another sono on Monday. If the baby is not in the uterus they will abort due to it being an etopic pregnancy which could be deadly for the mother.
I have continued to pray but am confused.
Does God hear my prayers or am I wasting my time? Does God care about the baby? Does God care about the Christian parents who have faithfully followed Him and have been praying for a baby for so long? Does God really have a hand in the matter? or maybe He can't do anything one way or another?
Pls pray that the baby lives. and maybe somebody can explain to me how prayer works
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Post by firefighter on Jun 20, 2008 17:28:15 GMT -5
They just texted me again. She is having mild to moderate abdominal pain again. This could very quickly come to a her life or the babys question. They are going on a dinner curise now. If if goes downhill and ruptures while they are away from medical care she is screwed. The husband is a firefighter/paramedic and she is a nurse
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Post by firefighter on Jun 23, 2008 0:00:10 GMT -5
After several more hours on my knees before God and reading His word and believing He would act; I've found that prayers don't work. The baby died a few hours ago. Thanks to all who took time to pray. This has been just one more incident, where when it really mattered most, and I and several other Christan's cried out to God - He didn't come through. I don't understand your God. I feel like I am alone in this world and that it truly is up to us to fix ourselves. Stay safe out there y'all
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Post by debonnaire on Jun 23, 2008 3:14:14 GMT -5
as long as we are in this body there will be health and sickness, joy and sorrow, pain and death. Christians know that Jesus has not promised them a life devoid of painful circumstances, but He can fill these moments with His presence. He has tasted pain and death for everyone.
Does God answer prayers ? YES. This scripture is sure and certain : if we ask according to His will, we know He listen to us and we possess what we have asked.
However , humans don’t always know God’s will ; even Christians who know God’s “general will” sometimes can have doubts about His will on particular circumstances.
There is also another thing which has to do with the fact that there are ‘gospels’ preached which are man centred instead of being Jesus centred. These ‘gospels’ spread by humanists insist on man blessings and needs instead of focusing on Jesus and the Cross and repentance. These ‘gospels’ are of no use when bad times come, for only at the Cross, at the foot of the One who has suffered, died ,and resurrected , man can find peace, peace deeper than any understanding. Only there , man cease to struggle with what he can not understand.
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42)
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.(Psalm 55:22)
Until we learn to trust Him in every circumstance - whatever we see deliverances or not - the truth is that Christians do not belong to themselves anymore , but should know that God knows what He is doing and that He cares for them.
Until we learn to do His will, we do not have a great confidence and certainties before the throne...
Turn away from unbelief and bitterness (if you have any). Jesus won't refuse any who goes to Him.
Remember , only at the Cross man can find peace greater than any understanding
You are a precious soul. May you find His great love and Comfort , dear firefighter
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Post by firefighter on Jun 23, 2008 7:02:42 GMT -5
So then, He really doesn't save lives or help people. He just gives us peace about it if we follow him? I no I need peace, but I thought he actually changed something. A friend of mine said "your prayers don't change anything. They touch the Heart of God and He changes things, so keep praying." I thought God cared and would change things and save lives if we asked in faith. So many times in Matthew and John it talks about the people believing that Jesus could/would do something and He says 'Your faith has made you well'. He talks about asking for stuff in His name, and about believing that He would do it and I thought He could still do it. I know Jesus doesn't walk the earth anymore but I thought He still had power to heal the sick and to raise the dead and cast out demons and be that all powerful God I had heard about. I'm glad he is there to be a comforter and give us peace; we need that. Just disapointed that He doesn't save lives or heal us when we ask. You know, when I first started praying for this little baby, it seemed that God did answer the prayers. I asked God to bring me back to Him and to show me who He is. I asked that He forgive me for trying to do it on my own. I knew only He could save. I asked Him to bring me back into His fold. The baby started growing again according to blood tests. I kept praying for the baby. Things got a little worse and I kept praying. I prayed that God would allow the next blood test not only to show that the baby was still alive - but to show that the baby caught up to where it should be. And it did! I started talking to God throughout the day and thanking Him for all the little things I had taken for granted - a thunderstorm blowing in, a child laughing/crying, a rabbit running across the yard, the birds waking me up... I kept praying for the baby, for the family. Praying that God would keep the baby safe and it would be born healthy and that it would also learn to love God. I guess its my fault - i set myself up for disapointment. I truly believed that God would come through. Its not the first time I have wanted to come back to God. And its deffinately not the first time I have asked God to help with something and believed He would. I don't know if He doesn't care about things in general or if He doesn't care about me. If maybe he cares and loves, but can't step in. My heart is heavy as I think about these things. He set the world into motion and keeps it spining, but can't help/save a firefighter, soldier, little girl, beloved friend, baby... I am not angry at God or lashing out at Him. I am just confused, hurt, sad, and looking for answers and finding none.
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Post by debonnaire on Jun 25, 2008 14:45:27 GMT -5
How would it be possible that all firefighters and all soldiers never die before getting old ? If it was so, everyone would want to be a firefighter or a soldier to have a long life.
But Yes, God saves 'physical' lifes. When my brother (who is not Christian) wanted to commit suicide, we prayed for him (there was no way we could be with him in time) and his life was spared. Once we also prayed for the nephew of one brother who had a terrible accident in motorcycle and was in coma between life and death...he did not died and get out of coma quickly , his full recovery was slow though....
on the other hand, i know a sister from another church who gave the testimony that they prayed for someone of her family a young man who also had a terrible accident. He recovered physically. Then the more he became old the more he became naughty ; he become a bandit and made his whole family suffer.... who knows what is the best for every man ? And should only "good people" or believers benefit of the prayers of the saints ?
Yes , God can protect from physical aggression, he made me escaped of this in the past
Yes, God can bless in a materialistic way. There was this poor man who lived like a tramp, and one day he came into the little church where i used to go before. He did not wanted of Jesus , but somehow believed in God and asked if we could pray for him that he could find a job. A few days later, he returned to testify (he was greatly impressed to have find a job in such little time) and give thanks. He did not became a Christian though, but gave thanks to God nevertheless.
God is good for the grateful and the ungrateful, and as Elihou said to Job, there is no unrighteousness in God. We simply can not know all of what God does under the sun, or what he allows. The important is not to know what God can do , but who He is, and from here it is solid ground. When we look at Hebrews chapter 11, we see those people who received a good testimony because of their faith. Some endured all kinds of trials and evils or were killed, while others were overcomers in the physical realm. Different fates, but both groups had the same faith in God.
Some righteous endure many trials and even some die when young. As the Holy spirit has inspired in the Bible : "It is priceless in God's sight, the death of one righteous" and "God collects the tears of His faithful ones". To others, it is given to live a longer time ,escape danger , never being sick , and do exploits...who knows ? Honestly i don't know, and i am sorry if what i type is not very helpful .... All that i have come to know is whatever i live or die , whatever befalls in the world or in my little sphere of influence, i belong to Him and He is worthy of my trust. On this journey , there is time for blessings, time for being broken and a time for being whole.
God bless and reveals Himself to you even more, dear firefighter.
In Jesus' love
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