I'm not talking about good guy/bad guy people. (We do think that way -- even if we shouldn't -- that some people deserve to have their prayers answered and some ... well, not so much) -- I'm talking about where all involved are seeking God's plan & will -- a bunch of Christian people praying for opposing outcomes. Somebody gets a yes, and somebody gets a no.
Example: I pray for my kids to be safe when they're driving (and for the people around them to not be idiots). But ... if another mother somewhere else is praying the same thing, and our kids end up having a tragic wreck, then one of us had our prayer answered -- and one didn't. A winner... a loser? One would say, "God answered my prayer - my child is alive", and the other would say, "I prayed for his safety and this is what happened."
I picked up a book to read on vacation - light fiction by a Christian author. It's a relationship story and the people in the book are all Christians. They pray, read their Bible, apply verses to every situation they must deal with, and they make an effort to be a light around non-Christians. Previously, two of the characters were in a relationship but circumstances changed that and now they've moved on to other phases in their lives. They are pursuing careers in different parts of the country, they both have met someone else (key point: the 'someone elses' are also Christians) but even while falling in love with the new person they do not forget their former relationship - nor one another. In spite of the past, they 'know' God has brought them to this place for a reason and believe that His will involves the new love they have found. The verse used throughout the story is Jeremiah 29:11 -- "I know the plans ..."
Ok -- the OTHER people -- they are also Christians -- they are truly in love with the respective main characters of the book. They also have prayed for God to show them the person who will be their 'forever'. Like I said, it's light fiction - I expect I know how it ends -- I'm just not sure how it will get there. But I do know that two people will 'win' and two people will 'lose'. And usually when we consider these things, we only think about the protagonists. We're cheering them on -- "yea....hang in there ... keep praying ... love conquers all ..."
Not me; I'm reading this going - Hey -- but these two secondary characters (who are not acquainted)... they're Christians too! They've prayed for the same things - they are honoring God in their choices, opening their hearts to a person they trust, considering futures ...that aren't going to happen. They're both going to end up getting dumped and hurt - but the book will have a 'happy ending'...?
I know - it's fiction, but it could be real life. So ... who wins and who loses? If the book was written from the perspective of the second set of characters, it would be a stinky book -- they would be raised in good church-going families, pray and read their Bibles and meet these wonderful like-minded partners believing that this was God answering their prayers ... then they'd get their hearts broken while the other two rode off into the sunset to live happily ever after.
Yeah, you can say that they will go on to find happiness or whatever, but the point is ... someone is saying "Yea Me! God answered my prayers" and everybody is going, "That's so awesome how God answers prayers" (the winner) -- and in the meantime, the other person who wanted the job, or the car, or the girl ... they're thinking, "What the hay...? I've been told to pray. I trusted that this was the plan. God did not answer my prayer!" (the loser).
There is no conclusion to this drivel. Just observations that I will not add now because they sound trite and irreverent ... the sorts of things I ponder when I see good people repeatedly disappointed and made to feel like God isn't listening...like they're the loser.
~jm
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