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Giving thanks for all things?
stello:
Last night i was praying with my wife and i thanked God for the way the world is. All of the pain, sickness, war, famine etc. Afterwards she was a little upset that i thanked God for all of those things. I tried to explain that everything we are going through is God's will and we have to go through it all. She asked the question if i'm thankful that there are children starving all over the world. While i feel sorry for them and everyone suffering i think i was right in thanking God for all of it, because we understand we all have to have a knowledge and experience of evil. Or am i wrong here? The scriptures do say to give thanks in/for all things.
stello
Joel:
A couple scriptures;
Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?
In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.
Joel
cheekie3:
stello -
--- Quote from: stello on August 22, 2016, 01:53:52 PM ---Last night i was praying with my wife and i thanked God for the way the world is. All of the pain, sickness, war, famine etc. Afterwards she was a little upset that i thanked God for all of those things. I tried to explain that everything we are going through is God's will and we have to go through it all. She asked the question if i'm thankful that there are children starving all over the world. While i feel sorry for them and everyone suffering i think i was right in thanking God for all of it, because we understand we all have to have a knowledge and experience of evil. Or am i wrong here? The scriptures do say to give thanks in/for all things.
stello
--- End quote ---
I do not think this is an easy question to answer.
You want to pray according to His Will; and your wife is concerned about those that do not have enough to eat, and a lot of these (especially young children) die because of the lack of food.
We are all of God, and He can do what He wants with His Creation. However, His Word reveals a lot about His Will for His Creation, especially mankind - and He is Love.
Jesus taught us many, many things in the New Testament about the Love of His and our Father.
God is Good. God is not evil.
The way I look at it is this:
1. We had a wicked heart and our minds must be changed into The Mind of Christ.
2. He gave His Elect a New (caring) heart, and is renewing their minds into The Mind of Christ.
3. The Elects' hearts and minds should be to pray as He wants them to, as Jesus did (but only as they are led by His Holy Spirit, and according to His Revealed Word).
So perhaps, we should pray in this manner:
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us Life and for your Grace, Goodness and Love.
Help us to live our lives as you want us to, in The Faith of Jesus Christ.
Help us to pray correctly, as your Spirit guides us, for those that you desire us to pray for.
Your Will be done, not mine.
Ray stated that he was constantly in prayer - and prayed all day long for the things and people that burdened him.
Jesus asks us to put our burdens to Him.
I hope this helps a little.
Kind Regards.
George
lilitalienboi16:
When we thank God for the good and the bad, are we thanking him out of some perverted sense of loving evil things and pain? Its like when ray said, do christians need to LOVE terrorists, as in invite them into their homes, have dinner with them etc?? Or does 'loving your enemies,' that is AGAPE, carry a different meaning than 'PHILEO?'
Same thing applies here.
Do we thank God for all things, including the evil, because we enjoy suffering and pain? Or do we thank God for the necessary experiences of evil because while it may be unpleasent and painful, we know that it is producing something aioningly glorious within is?
We should be careful for how we word things if we are praying before others who do not understand where our gratitude stems from and lack the level of maturity in the faith that we have. Perhaps that is why Jesus said pray in secret and in your closet.
I thank God for all things in MY life, good and bad, because I know God knows what He's doing and that despite the evils I may experience, He loves me tremendously and is doing this for my benefit so that I too can inherit all things. I don't thank him for the evils because I enjoy them, want them, think myself morally superior. No. I shun the evil, if it weren't for God, my heart would be enveloped by its despair, for the evil is all too rampant on this earth. If I could, I would erase evil but I relent and surrender to God's wisdom for whom am I? I am dust but He made the heavens and the earth. Now i'm not insinuating that you think these things but I am sharing with you how I think.
I don't pray for the world because Jesus didn't.
I certainly feel for the suffering of this entire creation as I learn of some of the evils it is experiencing but other than that I tend to keep my eyes on Him and focus on dealing with the beast inside. If anything, all this suffering and evil has inspired and given me the desire to never be apart of causing suffering and evil onto others. My knowledge inspires me to do good.
As paul said, the ENTIRE CREATION GROANS AND TRAVAILS IN PAIN TOGETHER UNTIL NOW.
Maybe thanking God for your own trials because yo understand their necessicity is better and if you must include the world, then thank Him for not being a failure, for having a plan that though it may cause pain, will result in the salvation of all creation and the producing of many sons and daughters who bear His mark.
God bless,
Alex
lareli:
Did Christ pray in the garden before His arrest "if there can be another way then let this cup pass from me.. But if not, your will be done.." I may have butchered that quote if so forgive me.
But doesn't Christs prayer tell us that there is no other way? If it were possible to achieve His desired result of redeeming the world , without so much evil in this age then it would be done right? But as it is , His plan requires that you and I and everyone else go through what we go through in this life ... I personally don't believe that there is one drop of evil too much than is absolutely necessary in accomplishing His plan. And so, I understand thanking Him for all His perfect plan.
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