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Meditation 1309
No, Dr. Graham. Your God isn't answering "No" to protect us from harm. Your God just isn't answering. Ever!

by: John Tyrrell

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While I dealt with the uselessness of prayer last week, I'd like to return to it once more. According to the Christian Post, Billy Graham has explained why God sometime answers "No" to prayers. Graham was asked:

"Dear Billy Graham: I know God sometimes says 'no' when we ask for something in our prayers. But if He really loved us, wouldn't He always answer our prayers with a 'yes'?"

Graham answered that God was like a loving parent who refuses to grant a child's every wish in order to protect the child from harm. So God sometimes (sometimes????) answers "No". And all because he wants to protect us from harm.

Lets think about that.

Consider the passenger in the aircraft falling out of the sky from 30,000 feet:

Passenger: Oh all merciful God - please save my live, and those of my fellow passengers.

God: Sorry. The answer is no. You are all going to die. But die knowing I'm saving you from harm.

Consider the parents with a child dying from an extremely painful form of cancer.

Parents: Oh dear God who can work miracles - Please save the life of our dear daughter. Or at least let her have a painless death.

God: Sorry about that, but the answer is no. She'll die the painful death associated with this cancer, but remember, I'm saving her from harm.

Consider that every week, millions pray for world peace and an end to war.

God: Sorry about that, but the answer is no. But do remember that the hundreds of millions who will die in future wars are being saved from harm. Please remember to offer me prayers of thanks for this munificent mercy that I am showing them.

Does that make sense? Or does it make more sense that no-one's up there at all answering yes or no?

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