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Just for my own info but if God exists what can I do to get them to grant me a wish?

Jos

Well-Known Member
This is something else you are now raising, yes?
God has always refused to answer person's prayers, in the past.
I'm not sure what you are now asking though.
Maybe elaborate.
I was saying that God allowing people to make choices through free will isn't the same as granting them a wish or saying yes to their prayers and I say this because you seemed to equivocate free will with granting prayer requests earlier.

Not that I know of.
Yeah I may have been confused.
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
Like when Israel wanted food from heaven and God only gave them quail and bread or something.

When Israel was wandering in the wilderness for 40 years....do you know why? God had released them from hard Egyptian slavery but their own shortcomings in honoring their covenant made with their God at Mt Sinai, resulted in that generation being denied access to the Promised Land. But even though they were being punished, God did not abandon them....there were hundreds of thousands of them along with some Egyptians who had joined them and the wilderness was an inhospitable place. They had to rely on God to provide food and water for all of them. Imagine how much food and water was required? The manna was a perfect food miraculously provided every day for 40 years. Water too was provided in a barren place.

Exodus 16:2-5...
"Then the entire assembly of the Israelites began to murmur against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites kept saying to them: “If only we had died by Jehovah’s hand in the land of Egypt while we were sitting by the pots of meat, while we were eating bread to satisfaction. Now you have brought us out into this wilderness to put this whole congregation to death by famine.”

4 Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Here I am raining down bread for you from the heavens, and each of the people should go out to gather his amount day by day, so that I may put them to the test to see whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 But on the sixth day when they prepare what they have gathered, it is to be double the amount that they pick up on each of the other days.”

Exodus 16:12...

“I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be satisfied with bread, and you will certainly know that I am Jehovah your God.’”

So even when they had the 'bread' and the quail, they were not satisfied. Instead of being grateful that they had food and water, in a place that was parched, they always found reasons to complain. The whole reason why they were wandering in the wilderness in the first place was due to their own disobedience. 40 years would see that older complaining generation die off and a new generation of more appreciative ones enter the Promised Land. Only two faithful men of that older generation got to enter that beautiful land...Joshua and Caleb.

I don't think recognizing who is the true God is simple since humans are fallible.

John 6:44
"No man can come to me unless the Father, who sent me, draws him..."
John 6:65...
"This is why I have said to you, no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

If you genuinely seek God on his terms...he will find you.
 

nPeace

Veteran Member
I was saying that God allowing people to make choices through free will isn't the same as granting them a wish or saying yes to their prayers and I say this because you seemed to equivocate free will with granting prayer requests earlier.


Yeah I may have been confused.
Okay. Let's take the account where the Jews asked for a king. Was that a prayer, a wish, or a choice... or all three?
 

Jos

Well-Known Member
So even when they had the 'bread' and the quail, they were not satisfied. Instead of being grateful that they had food and water, in a place that was parched, they always found reasons to complain. The whole reason why they were wandering in the wilderness in the first place was due to their own disobedience. 40 years would see that older complaining generation die off and a new generation of more appreciative ones enter the Promised Land. Only two faithful men of that older generation got to enter that beautiful land...Joshua and Caleb.
Right but He still gave them what they wanted even though He knew they would complain, so why have miracles stopped today?

If you genuinely seek God on his terms...he will find you
Many people do this and end up in different religions, so it doesn't seem to be reliable.
 

Kangaroo Feathers

Yea, it is written in the Book of Cyril...
Just for my own info but if God exists what can I do to get them to grant me a wish?
What makes you think God "grants wishes"? You can ask for His intercession and help, but nothing in scripture or theology suggest God is like the genie from Aladin.
 

IndigoChild5559

Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
It depends on your definition of God. I believe in God. But I don't believe in the "god" who is the Great Santa Claus in the Sky. THAT god is a false god.
 

Deeje

Avid Bible Student
Premium Member
Right but He still gave them what they wanted even though He knew they would complain, so why have miracles stopped today?

Did he really give them what they wanted? Or only what they needed. They ate the manna for 40 years....they rarely saw any meat. They had no vegetables or fruit and yet they survived. God saw to it that their clothing didn't wear our or even their sandals. This may have been a miracle, but it was hardly granting wishes.

The time for blessings would come once they entered the Promised Land. But just before they entered, satan brought another test on God's people. The men were tempted by beautiful Moabite women who led them into immorality. Imagine! They had endured 40 years in the wilderness and just as they were to enter their God-given place of peace, disobedience once again caused them to miss out.

There is a pictorial lesson in this for us, who are wandering about in our own 'wilderness'....a spiritual one as well as a political one. The devil is sure to tighten the thumb screws as these last days draw to a close. If we are too busy complaining about our lot in life, we might well miss the opportunity to gain entry into God's promised "new earth" ( 2 Peter 3:13)

It's time to be grateful for what we have and to appreciate what is just ahead of us.....an opportunity to live the life God had planned for us all along. (Revelation 21:2-4)

Many people do this and end up in different religions, so it doesn't seem to be reliable.

Satan can 'blind minds' (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) so we can rely on God to prevent that kind of 'blindness' if we have genuine faith in him and his ability to carry out his will on earth. If you have ever prayed the Lord's Prayer, it is a request for God's Kingdom to come and for his "will to be done on earth as it is in heaven." That is still to take place.

You see, the devil can only blind "unbelievers". Those misled into the a fake kind of Christianity that Jesus foretold, have their minds blinded too. (Matthew 7:21-23) When the judgment comes, Jesus will reject them. He accepts only those "doing the will of the Father" at that time. This is what we need to be concentrating on...not having wishes granted.

What are we doing with our lives to be found among those whom Jesus will take into another "Promised Land"?
 
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Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Just for my own info but if God exists what can I do to get them to grant me a wish?
It's hard to get a wish from a mentally generated puppet. ;O]

Probably the most applicable advice would be the from the quote, "God helps those who help themselves".

Personally I'd rather just stay realistic and understand that you don't always get what you want but don't give up on your dreams in ambitions even if they don't come to fruition.
 

Bird123

Well-Known Member
Just for my own info but if God exists what can I do to get them to grant me a wish?



This is so easy. Prayer can be as simply as a thought. God will grant you anything as long as it does not interfere with your lessons or the lessons of someone else.

Hmmmm??? Perhaps one needs to really think about that request and pick one that is possible.
 

TagliatelliMonster

Veteran Member
God isn't a genie in a lamp. He will do what is necessary to accomplish His will and bring about the salvation of souls. But what may help you and others towards salvation is very often not what will make you happy.

So saying things like "please watch over my son who's going to blabla" or "please help my husband with his cancer" etc, in prayer is utterly useless?
 
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