Katrina's Call

[statrei]

While civil and civic authorities struggle to come to grips with the awful disaster left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, an even bigger question looms before the faith community, especially Christians. How do we cope with the fact that in the days before Katrina hit the gulf coast God listened to the prayers of millions asking that the pending disaster be averted and He responded with a resounding "No!" This is truly the challenge of faith.

 

[smooze]

No God had nothing to do with it. God has said Mankind will reap his own destruction. Global warming, Cutting down the rainforests, draining watersheds, over development: all these contribute to the storms magnitude. If anything have you ever seen mardi gras you would want God to intervene. If it's cool for God to destroy Sodom and gommorah then if he did have a hand in a hurricanes creation ( he did create the world) Then destroying a city sin-filled in my opinion is God's gentle nudging and a warning. I simpathize with the victims but it is a wake-up call the End of the world is near GOD speed Jesus AMEN!!! (did this make any sense to anybody)

 

[statrei]

No God had nothing to do with it. God has said Mankind will reap his own destruction. Global warming, Cutting down the rainforests, draining watersheds, over development: all these contribute to the storms magnitude. If anything have you ever seen mardi gras you would want God to intervene. If it's cool for God to destroy Sodom and gommorah then if he did have a hand in a hurricanes creation ( he did create the world) Then destroying a city sin-filled in my opinion is God's gentle nudging and a warning. I simpathize with the victims but it is a wake-up call the End of the world is near GOD speed Jesus AMEN!!! (did this make any sense to anybody)

If God had nothing to it, then you are suggesting that it was a waste of time to pray asking Him to do something about it. Correct?

 

[Starr SDA Living Word]

No God had nothing to do with it. God has said Mankind will reap his own destruction. Global warming, Cutting down the rainforests, draining watersheds, over development: all these contribute to the storms magnitude. If anything have you ever seen mardi gras you would want God to intervene. If it's cool for God to destroy Sodom and gommorah then if he did have a hand in a hurricanes creation ( he did create the world) Then destroying a city sin-filled in my opinion is God's gentle nudging and a warning. I simpathize with the victims but it is a wake-up call the End of the world is near GOD speed Jesus AMEN!!! (did this make any sense to anybody)

I totally Agree.

Happy Sabbath and God Bless all!!! Prayers for all the Victims.

 

[statrei]

The question is, Why do we preach sermons advising people how to get their prayers answered then pretend nothing is the matter when the collective prayers of millions of Christians seem to get the shrug? I am hoping our desire is still to get into the will of God. He said if we ask in His will we will receive what we ask for. If we don't get what we ask for then the implications are obvious.

 

[smooze]

Did we do it in faith . Obviously not. The apostles tried and tried to expell demons from that man. They didn't have enough faith. I never said once about people wasting their time im talking about time wasting people. We wil 1 day look up and hear the trumpets off GOD then if were not on our faces in reverence then the glory of GOd will definately destroy us. I am not saying anybodies perfect and prayers do work. but when they don't intercede then it is God's will fulfilled. Praise HIS name. Be careful how you ask for things He may put a test in your way first. Like he tested Moses , Jacob Lot.ETc. Things from Heaven are a priveledge and i am Glad GOD chose me to do HIS will. GOD bless .

 

[SassySDA]

While civil and civic authorities struggle to come to grips with the awful disaster left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, an even bigger question looms before the faith community, especially Christians. How do we cope with the fact that in the days before Katrina hit the gulf coast God listened to the prayers of millions asking that the pending disaster be averted and He responded with a resounding "No!" This is truly the challenge of faith.

If it had been God's will, the catastrophe would have been averted. It doesn't weaken my faith when my prayers aren't answered in the way I wanted them to be. Sometimes He says "no", it's as simple as that.

This WAS however a category 5 hurricane until just before it hit the gulf coast. We see the devastation from a level 2 there, can we even IMAGINE what it would have been had it not abated down to a 2? I don't think so.

 

[statrei]

If it had been God's will, the catastrophe would have been averted. It doesn't weaken my faith when my prayers aren't answered in the way I wanted them to be. Sometimes He says "no", it's as simple as that.

That is true, Sassy. But, why do you tell your children No! You don't tell them No! for pleasing you. You may tell your children No! because they asked for something they should not have, like permission to play on the interstate, or you may tell them No! because they were disrespectful when they asked for something they deserve, like saying "Slave, I want you to mend this skirt for me." I am saying the latter applies to the church and we don't even realize it. Katrina is a lesson for the church and we are ignoring it because we think we are fine.

 

[smooze]

pharises came to the Church to chastize and test Jesus but HIS faith never deminished. yah know what i mean.

 

[statrei]

pharises came to the Church to chastize and test Jesus but HIS faith never deminished. yah know what i mean.

His faith in whom?

 

[PaleHorse]

I agree with Sassy, God answers all prayers - its just that sometimes the answer is "no".
Our children like sweets and often ask for them, but sometimes our answer is no because we know that in the long run those sweets aren't good for them. The child doesn't comprehend this reasoning, for the child hasn't the perspective to grasp it, but we (the adult parents) know.

I think God knows what is best for us even when we cannot understand or even comprehend why He answers our prayers they way He does. My faith is that I firmly believe God, our eternal Father, knows what is best for us in the long run.

My faith isn't waivered at all.

 

[SassySDA]

That is true, Sassy. But, why do you tell your children No! You don't tell them No! for pleasing you. You may tell your children No! because they asked for something they should not have, like permission to play on the interstate,*or you may tell them No! because they were disrespectful when they asked for something they deserve, like saying "Slave, I want you to mend this skirt for me." I am saying the latter applies to the church and we don't even realize it. Katrina is a lesson for the church and we are ignoring it because we think we are fine.

I do NOT always tell my children "no" because they have been displeasing to me, or have misbehaved.

I tell my children "no" for reasons they often don't understand...the same as my God does. I tell them "no" because I can see a much larger picture then they can...children have great difficulty seeing past their noses.

And don't EVEN try and argue children and their behavior with me, I have had more classes and training sessions in that one area than you could ever possibly hope to have.

*Made absolutely no sense to me.

God sees the bigger picture, end of story.

 

[smooze]

Well then if you need to ask then i will pray for you. God Bless

 

[smooze]

Perseverance Gets Results
"I tell you, although he will not get up and supply him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his shameless persistence and insistence, He will get up and give him as much as he needs."
(Luke 11:8, The Amplified Bible)​

If, as God Tells us in 1 timothy 2:4, it's His will for all men to be saved, why aren't we seeing more of the masses of lost people born again every day? Have you ever wondered that?​

I have... and as I've sought the Lord about it, I've come to realize that, for the most part, it's because those of us who are already saved don't pray persisently for those who aren't. Instead of persevering - staying before the Father, praying for them to receive the bread of salvation - like the man in Luke 11:8 did for his friend, when we don't see immediate results, we simply give up and go home.
What we don't realize is this: Perseverance is the key to success in intercession!
Why? It's certainly not because you have to change God's mind. He never changes. His mind's made up. He wants all men saved. The reason you have to persevere in intercession is to put pressure on the demonic forces that are trying to keep God's will from being accomplished. Those forces must be broken down through prayer so that strongholds are destroyed and spiritual blinders are removed from the spiritual eyes of the people you're praying for.
You see, God will not go against the will of people. But He will move through your intercession to reveal Himself. Through your persistent prayers, He will bring them to the Knowledge of their need for Him. Then they'll reach out for Him and spiritual rebirth can take place!
If you're sitting around waiting on God to save Aunt Mary or Uncle Jim or your best friend...stop sitting around! Get busy interceding for them. Persevere in prayer. Pray the prayer in Ephesians 1:16:23 for them, refusing to give up until they're safely inside God's kingdom.
Jesus has already laid down His life so that they can be saved. The question is, will you?

Scripture Reading:
Luke 11:1-10
Jesus' Teaching on Prayer
1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

2He said to them, "When you pray, say:
" 'Father,[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.[b]
3Give us each day our daily bread.
4Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c]
And lead us not into temptation.[d]' "

5Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'

7"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness[e] he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

 

[Windmill]

While civil and civic authorities struggle to come to grips with the awful disaster left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, an even bigger question looms before the faith community, especially Christians. How do we cope with the fact that in the days before Katrina hit the gulf coast God listened to the prayers of millions asking that the pending disaster be averted and He responded with a resounding "No!" This is truly the challenge of faith.

Hezichai or whatever (that king in isreal) Prayed to God to have his life extended, as he loathed Gods plan. So, God granted his wish, and extended it by 15 years, didn't he?

Everything bad associated with him happened then. So many bad things could've been avoided, if he'd only just listened to Gods way and not begged for more years.

Gods way = best way. Instead of praying for something, we should instead pray for Gods will Obviously, it is Gods will for this to have happened. Why? How can we know? We don't. Why did he allow Katrina (which was caused by mankind) to happen? O__O why does he allow any tradgetys to happen... maybe we don't know, but we know, that its Gods will, and whatever he lets happen he does for the best.

Not only this, but why do we even wish to know? Who are we, mere humans, to judge Gods actions? We're nobody. He is God, he needs no explaining what he does, nor should we question it, because it'll do us no good.

 

[statrei]

If it had been God's will, the catastrophe would have been averted. It doesn't weaken my faith when my prayers aren't answered in the way I wanted them to be.

There was no mention in the OP about faith being weakened. If we agree, and we say that it was not God's will then we are saying that the collective Christian community asked outside of the will of God. That says something about the Christian community. Are we willing or unwilling to learn the lesson it is teaching?

 

[statrei]

Not only this, but why do we even wish to know? Who are we, mere humans, to judge Gods actions? We're nobody. He is God, he needs no explaining what he does, nor should we question it, because it'll do us no good.

The OP never suggested that God's actions should be judged. To say that we should pay no attention when God says No is in direct opposition to what Jesus teaches, which automatically ensures that we will be publicly embarrassed again.

 

[statrei]

I do NOT always tell my children "no" because they have been displeasing to me, or have misbehaved.

I tell my children "no" for reasons they often don't understand...the same as my God does. I tell them "no" because I can see a much larger picture then they can...children have great difficulty seeing past their noses.

This is what I said. We say No because they should not have it, for whatever reason, or they should have it but asked in an unacceptable fashion. You restated what I said but the impression was given that you were disagreeing with me.

 

[statrei]

I agree with Sassy, God answers all prayers - its just that sometimes the answer is "no".

The only time God answers No is when we ask outside of his will. God explicitly taught that when we ask within His will we will receive whatever we ask. This means that a No is a lesson that must be learnt. It borders on rebellion to refuse to determine what the lesson is. This is not an issue of faith.