[left that other site]

Dear FRiend,
I believe my prayers are always heard. Sometimes they are not answered the way I would like, and sometimes it’s not right away, but it’s always for the best and always on time even when I don’t realize it. 35 years ago I prayed that the President of the US would move the Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Ronald Reagan was president at the time, and I loved him, but this was something that he did not do.

Then, Donald Trump did it within the first year of his Presidency. I know this may not mean a whole lot to many people, but it happened to be “a thing” for me.

I have gone through some tremendous traumatic stuff, and at the time, could not understand why God would allow such things to happen. Then, sometimes YEARS later, something occurs that I am able to achieve victory, primarily because of that trauma that happened years before. It is very weird. At my advanced age, looking back, I see many instances of answered prayer that I did not see at the time they were taking place. Perhaps it is the way we look at events, rather than the events themselves that are answers to prayer. As Jesus said “The rain falls on the just and the unjust.” It is our choice whether we react with disgust at getting soaked, or choose to dance in the rain.

Lois Evans is a Believer, and may view her terminal illness as a door to Eternal Joy in Heaven with Christ. I will pray for her healing as long as she is with us. God may choose to take her home though. But she has touched many people in her lifetime and has prayed for many others. So it is now our turn to pray for her.

There are new “Prayer Threads” every day on FR. I always respond with a prayer, even if it is a FReeper with whom I have had “words” with in the past.

Sometimes we get reports of answered prayer, and sometimes not. But I will never turn down a request.

Sorry for the long-winded reply, but I wanted to share my thoughts with you, since you asked.

[353FMG]

Thank you for your expansive response. There was a time that I would have given the same answer that you did.

[Albion Wilde]

I have gone through some tremendous traumatic stuff, and at the time, could not understand why God would allow such things to happen. Then, sometimes YEARS later, something occurs that I am able to achieve victory, primarily because of that trauma that happened years before. It is very weird. At my advanced age, looking back, I see many instances of answered prayer that I did not see at the time they were taking place.

I can absolutely agree with every word, based on the terrible challenges I've experienced in my long life—and their eventual resolution where God mysteriously arranged to use every awful thing for something good later on; and I encourage you, 353FMG, to "pray believing." Suspend disbelief and pray with an open mind that there really could be a God who loves you and hears your prayer.

As "left that other site" has written, His answer may not be what you expected or when you expected it; but He is God, and His ways are bigger and more complex than any human can imagine. So relax and trust in Him, giving all your life into His care. Ask for what you want, and be content with what He gives you. It will all make sense farther along.