It was a miracle!

[auntpolly]

Don't you think that would seem like an odd way of prioritizing?

I do believe in God. And I don't know why he allows people to suffer so. I just can't believe that while allowing the suffering, he deems your paperwork important. Doesn't make any sense. And if it were true, I wouldn't love him or trust him.

I wish I had the answer to your question - but all I can think of is something a nun told me once. We Catholics focus alot on God's grace and the idea that there are beautiful little things that happen and exist because of it, and even (maybe especially) when we don't deserve it. It's kind of a pure joy that has nothing to do with happiness from an earthly source. God's grace is everywhere.

In the middle of evil and tragedy, there is always God's grace. If I had better answers I'd give them to you - but all I can say is I believe.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Absolutely! I'm not saying that God performed a magic trick - just that he helped me and I really don't care how he did it!

For your skeptics, I don't know how to answer your questions.

The Bible says "Ask and you shall be given". It doesn't say what you will be given - sometimes it's not what you expect!

Seek and you will find!

But your prayer does get answered. After that particular prayer, you believe the hand of God reached down to help you locate your missing papers.

If you don't believe that God answers all prayers the way we want, how come He picked you and your Paperwork Prayer?

 

[auntpolly]

I think I'm the only one on the DIS that could get one of these just telling about a little gift from God, LOL!

 

[mrsltg]

Absolutely! I'm not saying that God performed a magic trick - just that he helped me and I really don't care how he did it!

For your skeptics, I don't know how to answer your questions.

The Bible says "Ask and you shall be given". It doesn't say what you will be given - sometimes it's not what you expect!

Seek and you will find!

Exactly - and sometimes, God says, "no." Whatever the reason may be, it happens. There is bad in this world and terrible things happen to people. I've lost a child. I don't blame God. I don't ask why my prayers weren't answered - they were - it just may not have been the answer I was hoping for. Case in point - as a teenager I would go to bed EVERY NIGHT and pray to die in my sleep. I woke up every morning. There was a better plan for me. Now I have the hindsight of 15 years and have a loving husband and three children I love more than anything.

For the skeptics -you don't have to believe it - frankly, I don't care if you do. That's the essence of faith. I believe, so does Aunt Polly, so do countless others.

Oh, and Cool-Beans - 12 million people died in the holocaust. I don't discount the 6 million non-Jews as unimportant and I don't believe you meant to do the same. They were all people.

 

[auntpolly]

But your prayer does get answered. After that particular prayer, you believe the hand of God reached down to help you locate your missing papers.

If you don't believe that God answers all prayers the way we want, how come He picked you and your Paperwork Prayer?

There's order to the universe - and I'm not always sure what that is. If it hadn't fit into that order for us to find them, we wouldn't have found them, but he would have helped us somehow.

Like I said, God isn't performing magic tricks here . We just experienced a little of God's grace. I'm not special - he didn't "pick" me over someone else. I just appreciate it for what it was.

 

[Scutapipig]

I believe in prayer. I also believe that you can't go around denying God and then wonder why terrible things happen in this world. I believe the terrible things happen because Satan allows them to, and its Satan who goes around allowing the terrible things to happen in this world. God allows that to happen so that we, as individuals, make a choice as to what path we are going to follow. There are too many people who choose the path that is easiest, the most selfish, and think more about what they will get from that path rather than the implications their choice will make on others.

But I really just wanted to respond with a miracle story more than anything else.

My daughter was diagnosed in-utero at four months with severe kidney issues. I had an ultrasound every 4-6 weeks and they constantly monitored her kidneys. They felt they were polycystic and that she would have little chance of survival. There came a point during the pregnancy where I simply was heartbroken to know that I may never get to hold my daughter; never get a chance to raise her and watch her grow. I fought God every step of the way and couldn't believe that he gave me a child that I may never see or hold in my arms. I simply could not believe that after giving me one special needs child, that he would give me another.

Fast forward to a night when my husband and I were talking about what to name our daughter. He wanted one name and I wanted another. I was finally at my breaking point with the whole pregnancy and the "what-if's" and was ready to just give up. Then, for some reason out of the blue, I said, "Let's name her Faith. God gave us a boatload to deal with and who are we to say it's right or wrong...it's just the way things turned out. If she is born and we can hold her and love her, then we win. And if God chooses to call her home to Him before she is born, then frankly, she and we, both win. What better place is there for her to be than up in heaven, where there is only joy. It was that moment, admist a pool of tears, that I submitted her to the Lord and gave her back to Him. It was for that reason, with our faith sustaining us, that we named her Faith.

She is happy and healthy and fully recovered at age nine. She had four surgeries to correct her kidney issues, but she received the all clear at age 4-1/2.

She, above all, is our miracle and she is my testimony to the joy God can bring when fully submit to Him.

 

[Acklander]

The papers were found because they were meant to be found. I don't think prayer has anything to do with it. Prayer isn't like a wish list to santa clause, and probably shouldn't be used for anything beyond giving thanks.To the OP, I'm glad you found your papers.

 

[Mermaid02]

Maybe God forwarded your prayer to St. Anthony! I'm really glad you found your papers.

 

[auntpolly]

The papers were found because they were meant to be found. I don't think prayer has anything to do with it. Prayer isn't like a wish list to santa clause, and probably shouldn't be used for anything beyond giving thanks.To the OP, I'm glad you found your papers.

I think lots of people in the Bible asked for help, including Jesus.

Like I said, I don't go around asking God for new cars (no santa list here). I just ask for help and guidance. I'm sure God wants us to come to him when we are troubled.

 

[Cool-Beans]

There's order to the universe - and I'm not always sure what that is. If it hadn't fit into that order for us to find them, we wouldn't have found them, but he would have helped us somehow.

Like I said, God isn't performing magic tricks here . We just experienced a little of God's grace. I'm not special - he didn't "pick" me over someone else. I just appreciate it for what it was.

But he had to pick you. YOUR prayer got answered, and other people's prayers didn't.

Why would God do that?

And if He's just answering prayers differently, then what kind of God answers Paperwork Prayers, but lets little kids suffer horrible deaths?

I guess I just cannot accept that God found your papers for you. But that's not your issue, it's mine. I don't believe in a God that works that way. If He was that sort of God, I wouldn't consider him good and wouldn't want a part of that kind of heaven.

So, I'm sorry. And, again, happy for you that you found your papers.

 

[auntpolly]

I'm just going to say one more thing and then I have to go to class.

I think sometimes when little things happen it's to remind us that God is here and hears us.

Sometimes when you are lost and don't ask God for help, or you pray for the wrong thing (like "God, I want this- just give it to me!") you can spend so much time spinning your wheels off in the wrong direction.

Letting go and asking for help is the key to everything, IMO.

Maybe my example seems frivolous and maybe I shouldn't have shared it, I don't know, but it just made me feel God's grace, that God is with me. If it reminds someone else of it, I'm glad!

 

[Allison]

Why would God do that?

So, I don't think finding papers qualifies as a miracle. The papers were there all along so they would have been found at some point. Somehow, for me it would have to be something a lot bigger. But, that is my personal belief. Maybe someday I'll see a miracle, maybe I won't. But, you know noone is going to be able to answer this question to your satisfaction? I've asked it myself about things and if you ask it, it pretty much means noone will be able to answer it for you in a way that you will like (if they do-please pass it along). At least they haven't for me. Just my 2 cents.

 

[auntpolly]

But he had to pick you. YOUR prayer got answered, and other people's prayers didn't.

Why would God do that?

And if He's just answering prayers differently, then what kind of God answers Paperwork Prayers, but lets little kids suffer horrible deaths?

.

I think that he answers all prayers, but not always in the way we want.

It's not like "my order got filled" and someone else's didn't. I just experienced a bit of God's grace, and appreciate it for what it is.

Got to go! Have a good one!

 

[Scutapipig]

Aunt Polly, for what it's worth, I think you're spot on.

 

[orljustin]

Like I said, I don't go around asking God for new cars (no santa list here). I just ask for help and guidance. I'm sure God wants us to come to him when we are troubled.

You did though. Finding your paper was trivial, just like a new car. Yes, I'm sure it seemed big at the time, but if you didn't find them, and lost your job, we'd hear about how god didn't answer your request at the time because he wanted you to find a better job down the street next week by some incredible coincidence.

I found my cel phone the other day, and I didn't even pray for a miracle. Took six days, but it finally turned up under a bed. Guess I can save my miracle for when someone's about to die or something.

 

[Fitswimmer]

I think that he answers all prayers, but not always in the way we want.

It's not like "my order got filled" and someone else's didn't. I just experienced a bit of God's grace, and appreciate it for what it is.

Got to go! Have a good one!

If finding those papers helped you to feel better about God's presence in your life, then maybe that was the message. Not the papers themselves, but the fact that God was there for you.

Sometimes I think God just wants us to SLOW DOWN and CALM DOWN. Stopping in the middle of a frantic search to say a prayer is a way for us to slow down, calm down and maybe that alone helps us to find that missing item. Who knows? I'm thankful for any reminder God gives me.

 

[cybrkitn]

I've done the same thing. Last time I couldn't find the checkbook I had set down somewhere. My DH told me to stop, relax and pray to ask God for guidance. Well, he helped me pray and the second I went into the living room, I went directly to my purse and opened it up and there was my checkbook. Which was good, b/c I was getting ready to leave for work and needed it later in the day.

Some would say it was just coincidence, but when you have your faith in God, there are no coincidences. Yes, prayer does work and I am very thankful to God when He answers it.

 

[Abbie]

I guess I just cannot accept that God found your papers for you. But that's not your issue, it's mine. I don't believe in a God that works that way. If He was that sort of God, I wouldn't consider him good and wouldn't want a part of that kind of heaven.

It sounds like you are really hurting over this last crime against our little ones and I'm sorry for that. I think many of us are, it's hard to erase the images in our heads. It's impossible to understand and to reconcile such evil with a loving and gracious God. I don't even try. I often struggle myself with faith issues and have lost a lot. But still I believe, somehow.

You keep asking about why the papers and not the child. No one knows the answer to that, but I do think that sometimes God will work a tiny little "miracle" like the papers or the cross mentioned just to boost our faith a bit when it's lagging. Sometimes when I'm at my lowest, it feels like God will just do some tiny thing to remind me of his presence and it's like a light bulb going off. And I think, oh yeah, I'm not going this alone, it will be ok. I guess that's what I consider "grace". It will never address the "why this and not that" kind of question, but for that one moment in time, for THAT person, it's a reminder.

 

[DaisyD]

It just amazes me every day what the DIS can turn into a debate! Glad you found the papers!

 

[fan_of_small_world]

Slightly off topic, but I can't understand why so many posters seem surprised that this thread turned into a debate.

Religion, and therefore prayer, are topics that almost automatically generate discussion here. Some people have a very strong faith, some don't believe in God, and many people have questions that they struggle with. With so many people here with so many differences, just the mention of prayer can spark questions and debate.

I think that it's great that, 3 pages in, everyone is still civil. Too many threads crash and burn around here. We're intelligent people, and healthy debate is a wonderful way to exercise our brains and even open us up to new ideas.

Back on topic...

As for prayer, I pray every day for the health and safety of my children. But I also struggle with the evil that can happen to anyone. I also question why a "paper prayer" seems to work, while a mother praying for her child's life doesn't. I don't know the answer. It's something I struggle with a lot. I still believe, but I just don't understand. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be.