Does God answer all the prayers of his righteous children? Church leaders say yes. Tonight, Radio Free Mormon puts this claim under the microscope, and also shares some personal stories dealing with the issue.
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I was praying for another RFM episode then this.
Mysterious ways ! ! !
tender mercies, indeed.
The reason God didn’t answer your prayers RFM was because he knew you would become less active down the road. Had you chosen the other path and become a General Authority then you would have a story to tell in General Conference in which God would have surely provided you with all the warmth and comfort you deserved. =P
Ask and ye shall receive right. You should have said something about being cold.
All this is rather funny for me because a woman who was going blind asked for me to provide her with a blessing that she would be able to preserve her eyesight. I stressed a little, knowing that I may have been an unworthy priesthood holder knowing that I had masturbated sometime earlier that week, but if anyone deserved preserving her eyesight it was this old sweet lady.
I made a small quick prayer to the Lord begging for his forgiveness, and asked that his spirit be upon me as I did the blessing anyways. I blessed her and never knew anything about the sweet old lady anymore… but I prayed countless times with the Lord to please bless her thereafter in my personal prayers, asking for the Lord to please grant this woman according to her faith and prayers that might sins not be an impediment for this woman to preserve her eyesight which was deteriorating.
Suffice it to say, to this day, having given that blessing and others brings out a spirit of responsibility in me. A hope that God’s spirit will move the universe in that’s person’s favor. Ever since, I have complained in Elder’s QUorum how my power to bless and heal people seems to be nil, but that I somehow find myself praying every now and then over and over again over the people I have been asked to bless in the past.
I just want to publicly apologize for not having power in the priesthood, it’s because of my sins, if only I had been a worthy faithful priesthood holder. I’m sure it would have worked then.
Is it idiotic to feel ashamed for having been this way. Even to this day I still feel remorse, hoping, and praying that I’m good enough to be presented before the Lord.
I will add to all this that I now feel the power of Christ atonement and I feel complete in Christ. So, no matter how insignificant I am… He completes me and makes me worthy, but perhaps apparently still not worthy enough to heal. However feeling worthy in Christ has contributed very positively to my self esteem and living a Christ centered positive virtue life.
The thing about the second kind of answered prayers (you don’t get what you wanted, but in hindsight, it’s better) is that everything has unexpected consequences. I went to a fairly expensive private liberal arts college, and sometimes wish I had gone to a cheaper, more sensible school. Then I think, “but then you never would have met this friend, or that great professor.” But I would probably have made friends and had good professors. Maybe as good, maybe better. I didn’t exactly plan all my pregnancies, but if I had gotten pregnant any earlier or later than I did, I wouldn’t have the wonderful kids I wouldn’t trade for anything. But I would have different wonderful kids I wouldn’t trade for anything. It’s the same as the first kind of answered prayer again. It’s just the miracle of coincidence. Because unexpected good things are bound to happen, and when they do, you can point back to the bad things that happened along the way, and say that was God guiding you to the good thing. But if the bad thing hadn’t happened, unexpected good things would still have resulted. Because that’s the nature of life: unexpected things happen, and some of them are bound to be good.