tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13665762.post2000358680255444241..comments2023-10-28T05:39:10.909-04:00Comments on Straight Not Narrow-Presenting Jesus Beyond the Walls: A Personal Matter of Life and DeathUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13665762.post-91614289670893132182007-07-10T16:02:00.000-04:002007-07-10T16:02:00.000-04:00meeyauw,I really appreciate what you are saying in...meeyauw,<BR/><BR/>I really appreciate what you are saying in your comment. Of course, if our prayers for health of loved ones were always answered, people would never die. That wouldn't work, now would it?<BR/><BR/>Having also lost a spouse, I can empathize with your perspective here. In Brenda's situation, however, we had both felt we received assurance from God that she would emerge from this healthy and whole before we got too deep into it, so our prayers were more of the "don't make her have to go through radiation treatment" than "please spare her life." <BR/><BR/>We weren't at sure he would answer that prayer, but we feel He did because we are gearing up some ministry initiatives we believe He led us to, and it's not like God to point us in a certain direction just to pull the rug out from under us.<BR/><BR/>I learned after losing my late wife that even that was part of His plan, and when I sought Him out, he pointed me in the direction He wanted me to go. It was a painful, humbling time that I emerged from stronger and more at peace than ever.<BR/><BR/>I hope that explains where I was coming from.EncouragingWordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17140742020232237724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13665762.post-14400503191424238592007-07-10T07:12:00.000-04:002007-07-10T07:12:00.000-04:00Yes, thank goodness she is fine. Truly. The story ...Yes, thank goodness she is fine. Truly. The story makes me less scared of doctors a bit. Just a bit.<BR/><BR/>But I wanted to respond to your statement "First of all, that our passionate prayers were answered and Pastor Brenda will be fine."<BR/><BR/>What if she were not fine? You may say that we don't get answers that we want to our prayers. That God has his own plan. <BR/><BR/>After experiencing my own husband's death from cancer and all of the church people saying they would pray for him (and they did) and saying after he died that God's plans were different, I have developed a real aversion for these statements. <BR/><BR/>Isn't it a platitude to say God's plans are different or that a prayer was answered? <BR/><BR/>We had a pastor here that I complained to about this. They were praying for healing for a member of the congregation and I had to object. The minister said that they pray for the healing of the soul to accept what is going to come. That I can understand: praying for strength to live through something awful. <BR/><BR/>Well, this is confused and long. Thank you for your blog.Andreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08159511912645034019noreply@blogger.com