/christian/ - Christian Discussion and Fellowship

>why does God wait so long to answer prayers sometimes?

He wants to see if you'll remain faithful. Consider St Anthony the Great, a man who was so inspired by the gospel he sold all he had to live in a cave in the desert.

One day Saint Anthony, then aged 35, decided to spend the night alone in an abandoned tomb. A great multitude of demons came and started beating him, wounding him all over. He lay on the ground as if dead. The claws of the demons prevented him from getting up. According to the hermit the suffering caused by this demonic torture was comparable to no other. The next day, by the Providence of God, a friend came to visit him and carried him on his shoulders to the nearest village for treatment. Anthony came to himself and begged his friend to bring him back to the tomb. Upon arriving there, Saint Anthony exclaimed: “Here is Anthony. I do not flee your beatings nor pain, nor torture; nothing can separate me from the love of God.”

St. Athanasius wrote: “The demons made ​​such a racket that the whole place was shaken, knocking over the four walls of the tomb; they came in droves, taking the form of all kinds of monstrous beasts and hideous reptiles. And the whole place was filled with lions, bears, leopards, bulls, wolves, asps, scorpions. The lions roared, ready to attack; bulls seemed to threaten him with their horns; snakes advanced, crawling on the ground, seeking a place of attack, and wolves prowled around him. They all were making a terrible noise. Groaning in pain, St. Anthony faced the demons, laughing: ‘If you had any power, only one of you would be enough to kill me; but the Lord has taken away your strength, so you want to frighten me by your number. The proof of your powerlessness is that you are reduced to taking the form of senseless animals. If you have any power against me, come on, attack me! But if you cannot do anything, why torment yourselves unnecessarily? My faith in God is my defense against you.’

“But all of a sudden a bright light illuminated the tomb; at that moment, the demons vanished. The pains ceased. When he realized that God was coming to his aid, he asked: ‘Where were you, Lord? Why did you not stop this suffering earlier?’ God answered him, ‘Anthony, I was present at your side. But I waited, observing your fight. And since you have resisted so bravely, I will now always be at your side, and I will make your name famous throughout the world.’ Having heard the words of the Lord, the monk stood up and prayed. He then received such strength that he felt in his body an even greater vigor than before.”

>>688280

Hey OP, thanks for sharing your testimony.

I too also prayed for months while unemployed, now I'm working for a major company. One thing I've learned is that while I was unemployed, I was voraciously reading the Bible and praying and fasting, but now that I'm employed and making money, I've grown distant from God. It's been a while since I've read the Bible or taken communion. I'll take this as a reminder from God that I need to set my feet back towards Jesus Christ again.

>The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. (Luke 8:14)

I commend you for not losing hope and faith.

My story is that my position of 24 years got abolished, but fortunately my employer offered me another job. Unfortunately a form of arthritis, misdiagnosed as tendinitis for years by different doctors, significantly impairs the movement of my wrists and made me unsuited for the new position.

I never ask favors from God, and my problem is small all considered, so I asked for peace of mind and clarity. I finally accepted the situation and a lower-ranking position I was offered.

There are people now who pity me, stating that I was forced into a demotion, or are actually happy of what they perceive as my 'misfortune'.

But I actually love this new job! My skills are still useful, if in a more limited fashion, the people I work with are nice, and I still make a decent living doing something useful.

Of course I was asked why I trust God if he sent me this ailment, as was to be expected I guess. I won't expand on it here, but I do not believe God is to blame.

In the end I came to realize that I am still the same person, still able to help my loved-ones, still loved and in love with my wife. I just needed guidance to let go of my foolish pride, and see that my occupation does not entirely define me.

>>688304

I had the same problem, it actually got to the point where I had fallen so far I began having atheistic thoughts. I had to quit the job and return to the church to get my spiritual life in order. The modern secular world, especially in a corporate setting, is so suffocating and conformist it can squeeze the humanity and thus the religion out of us. Balancing work and religion is very hard and I hope you can satisfy both well enough.

>>689256

girls like older guys tho

>>688280

That's great, OP! I hope those who are struggling see this and know that the road is long and treacherous, but it's illuminated the entire way

>>689256

Have you changed yourself into the sort of husband God would want you to be?

I know it's hard, but sometimes God wants us to pick through our baggage before risking we dump it on another generation. The evil dump all their crap on their kids and it shows, and it is so sad.

>>688280

>Or is there something you've been praying for a long time but hasn't been answered yet?

I'm in quite a similar position as you were, if you replace "law" with "software development". I've struggled to find anything since the day I graduated college. Dealt with pretty heavy depression for a while, which affected my motivation for job searching and coding in my spare time, so I have no practical experience or portfolio to speak of.

Now I'm stuck in a menial retail job in an auto parts store; they're messing my schedule and dropping me to part time, and without any prospects I can only just take it. I need to be able to remain independent if I want to help my family, and start one of my own one day. I hate the area I'm living in, and my house is a piece of junk; I want nothing more than to be able to escape this mess and start fresh somewhere else. I get really impatient, and it might cause me to walk into something that I wasn't really meant to. I just don't know what the Lord's plan is, if he wants me out and striving for a position, or if He's going to walk an opportunity in front of my face.

I'm very glad for you, anon. I hope the Lord continues to bless you.