What Do Answers Look Like?

[snopes]

Every year, we stay with some of our grandchildren while the parents go on a vacation.

Last year, one little grandson prayed every night that a certain toy would be in the store. He longed for this toy; he dreamed about this toy; it was high on his "want" list. He had received permission from his parents, before they left, to buy it. Towards the end of the week, we went shopping, but the desired toy was not there. He kept praying, bless his little heart. The faith of a child!

A couple of days later, we went to the store once again. He was anticipating seeing the toy and buying it with his own hard-earned money. How disappointed he was, when once again, it wasn't there!

That night, as I tucked him into bed, we talked about how he had prayed every night that the toy would be available, and yet, it wasn't there. It seemed that God hadn't answered his prayer.

With disappointment written all over his face that night, I asked our grandson if God had answered his prayer. He immediately said, "No!" I suggested to him that God did answer, but the answer wasn't "Yes"; it was "No", or possibly "No, wait a while". His face just lit up. I knew he understood.

What a valuable lesson this is to learn while we are young. Often, we expect God to grant us every request we send His way. And yet, He knows it might not be good for us, or the timing isn't quite right. We don't see anything beyond today, but God sees the whole picture, and isn't that a good thing?

Let's learn the lessons here. Let's pray without ceasing. Let's trust God with the answers He gives us. Let's trust that He knows what is best for us. Let's trust that God will give us all of our needs!

[snopes]

With disappointment written all over his face that night, I asked our grandson if God had answered his prayer. He immediately said, "No!" I suggested to him that God did answer, but the answer wasn't "Yes"; it was "No", or possibly "No, wait a while". His face just lit up. I knew he understood.

Seeing the disappointment written all over his face that night, I asked our grandson if God had answered his prayer. He immediately said, "No!" I suggested to him that his disappointment had been caused by a simple inventory control problem, and once we quashed local protests and got the new Wal-Mart opened up in town to put that dinky toy store out of business, he'd never have to worry about inventory shortfalls ever again. His face just lit up. I knew he understood.

What a valuable lesson this is to learn while we are young. Often, we expect God to grant us every request we send His way. And yet, often our problems are caused by our own foolish overregulation of the market.

- snopes

[Richard W]

God's never been a great communicator, really. I never understand people who think that silence (without a clear statement or reason for any future lack of response being given at least once) is any sort of message. It's always ambiguous.

[TB Tabby]

"I used to pray to God every night for a bicycle. Then I realized that God, in his infinite wisdom, doesn't work that way. So I just stole one and asked God to forgive me!"

[lord_feldon]

I suggested to him that God did answer, but the answer wasn't "Yes"; it was "No", or possibly "No, wait a while". His face just lit up. I knew he understood.

There's either a petty deity, a naive kid, or a combination of the both there.

I don't understand the message here. This kid wants this toy, so instead of taking matters into his own hands (like looking it up on Amazon, calling ahead at the toystore), he's just going to face disappointment after disappointment? Where exactly does God factor into this? Because he can't get the toy God is watching out for him?

It sounds like this kid's going to go down the long dark road of un-fulfillment and abandonment.

[RivkahChaya]

Or even all first to see if the store has the toy before going over there.

Unless it's a Tickle Me Elmo, I'm thinking this must be pretty old.

[boogers]

Snopes, are you suggesting that God turns us into free market capitalists?

[diddy]

Originally Posted by AniMajor

I don't understand the message here. This kid wants this toy, so instead of taking matters into his own hands (like looking it up on Amazon, calling ahead at the toystore), he's just going to face disappointment after disappointment? Where exactly does God factor into this? Because he can't get the toy God is watching out for him?

It sounds like this kid's going to go down the long dark road of un-fulfillment and abandonment.

Well what exactly is God to do here. The kid already had the money, and unless God was actively preventing the toy from being produced, its simply bad luck that the kid isn't shopping when adequate stock is available. Can we really fault God when people expect him/her/it to bow to all of our demands immediately when asked for.

I do like that the glurge acknowledges that God may answer a prayer by saying "no". Lots of people are under the impression that praying will guarantee a positive result. I really don't think God would want people to go to him for everything especially things that we are very capable of handling.

[Natalie]

Whatever, they're just ripping off the Onion but they made it less mean and less funny.

[snopes]

Originally Posted by boogers

Snopes, are you suggesting that God turns us into free market capitalists?

No, I'm suggesting it's not fair to blame (or credit) God for failures in the free market ...

- snopes

[diddy]

Originally Posted by snopes

No, I'm suggesting it's not fair to blame (or credit) God for failures in the free market ...

- snopes

Unless of course you want to argue that God, being omnipotent has complete control of the free market. It starts to become a moot point though since it wouldn't be free if God controlled it...

No, no, diddy, it's just like free will. God controls that, too.

[Namowal]

I was waiting for a sappy ironic twist- like the boy discovers the kid next door did get the toy and didn't even pray for it, but it turns out the toy is from China and oozing lead.

[snopes]

Originally Posted by Namowal

I was waiting for a sappy ironic twist- like the boy discovers the kid next door did get the toy and didn't even pray for it, but it turns out the toy is from China and oozing lead.

Unconsolable, the youngster sneaked out of his room and crawled under a bridge to wait for death. As he was about to go to sleep, he saw an old newspaper on the ground. He picked it up, and suddenly he saw an advertisement for people with the toy he wanted to come to a certain address.

He decided to go there. On getting to the place, he told the proprietor about the toy he couldn't buy. The proprietor screamed, brought out a big book and showed the little boy a photograph. That same toy was worth 3 million dollars. The proprietor chuckled with glee as he tauntingly waved a bank draft for 3 million dollars under the child's nose. The boy returned to his hideaway beneath the bridge, where his decomposing, wolf-eaten corpse was discovered several weeks later.

[Namowal]

Originally Posted by snopes

Unconsolable, the youngster sneaked out of his room and crawled under a bridge to wait for death. As he was about to go to sleep, he saw an old newspaper on the ground. He picked it up, and suddenly he saw an advertisement for people with the toy he wanted to come to a certain address.

He decided to go there. On getting to the place, he told the proprietor about the toy he couldn't buy. The proprietor screamed, brought out a big book and showed the little boy a photograph. That same toy was worth 3 million dollars. The proprietor chuckled with glee as he tauntingly waved a bank draft for 3 million dollars under the child's nose. The boy returned to his hideaway beneath the bridge, where his decomposing, wolf-eaten corpse was discovered several weeks later.

Good one.

You know this used to be an episode of M*A*S*H?

I recall a bomber pilot coming into the hospital convinced that he was infact Jesus (no dog tags at the time so you got a fun bit of ambiguousness for the first half of the episode).

At one point in it, I belive Frank Burns makes a point that he can't be Jesus since he had prayed for Chocolate Pudding at Mess that day, and they did not have it. Related to this was the paitent commenting that God answrs all prayers, but sometimes he answers no.

Which I always thought was a great way to take that whole why doesn't God answer my prayers question. Maybe there is a reason you are being denied this thing you want so much.

Which of course shoudl lead to self reflection and ususally lead to the realization that if there is a god, wasting their time with our petty venial desires is pretty lame on our part, and perhaps we shoudl work to eliminate hunger and poverty in the world so that God has less to worry about and can get around to getting me those springsteen tickets.