Does God answer ALL prayers?

Great Debates
#1

For the purposes of this thread, I’d like to avoid the whole, “Well if God answers prayers, doesn’t that go against the Divine Plan?” question. Here, we assume that God does answer prayers.

Let’s suppose that you meet someone and you want to date them. Now, you’ve just met her (or him, doesn’t matter), so you have no idea that she is a drug addict/child abuser/control freak/folk music fan. Still, you think she’s awesome, so you pray to God that He will let the two of you hook up.

Now, God obviously knows that she would be poison to your life. Might He answer this prayer with a yes and allow you to learn from the situation, or does He refuse because he knows she wouldn’t be good for you?

#2

No He doesn’t.

James:
Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. *Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 *Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

#3

I should rephrase that. Does God always answer “Yes”? No He doesn’t. I try and always answer my son, but I don’t give him everything he asks for. So if you mean does God always say Yes? No, but I believe anyone who desires an answer will get one, either yes, no, or not right now.

#4

He answers all prayer. Sometimes the answer is “No.”

#5

I get that He answers “no” sometimes. I guess I should rephrase my question. Might God give you something you pray for, even if he knows it’s bad for you, so that you might learn from it?

#6

No. See my first post. But I do believe God lets us do things that He knows we shouldn’t, so we learn from it.

#7

Lord Ashtar IMHO God might well let you hook up with the bad girl to make you learn, he might also steer you clear of her.

I expect it depends on how much God thinks you need that lesson.

I think that you have to be very careful when you ask God for something for yourself. Its liable to go horribly wrong.

#8

See, that’s where I get confused. Why would God not protect him?

#9

Yes, but only when He really, really wants to punish us in the worst way.

#10

In my case (this actually happened to me) God said yes.
In retrospect, I don’t appreciate it.

#11

Right. So if someone is being beaten by their spouse, and God says no, what kind of being IS he?

#12

to be specific

In answer to lord Ashtar, the person God let me hook up with wasn’t a child molester or folk music fan, just drug addict and emotionalyl abusive and financially abusive.

#13
#14

The same kind of being that says, even if you live a life of charity and selflessness and kindness, you are doomed to burn in eternal hellfire if you don’t believe in him, I suppose.

Certainly not someone worthy of my worship, but YMMV…

#15

Now, see, this is the very discussion I want to have with God, when I get there.
Lots of the stuff that is going on, is just bad marketing!
It would be So much easier to market appropriate living and following the paths God has shown to be “rightous” … if
Good stuff always happened to folks who were living a consciously chosen path … and bad crap befell all those who weren’t!
Ya, know, like folks who are living wholsome and spirit directed lives, should end up having nothing but good “luck,” live long and healthy lives …
and those who are living decetful and off-track lives should end up having short, miserable lives, bad health, and never get declaired President of the United States, under any conditions!

but … at this point, that’s not how it works. Just bad marketing, if you ask me! Bad marketing!