Liz stared at the computer screen in front of her. Feelings of discouragement washed over her. She had worked for almost a year now to build her foundation to help abused women, but so far, she had struck out in obtaining much of any support for her cause. Another bill was due, but more women had also been abused, and she had not been able to reach them. Her prayers to God were that someone with resources would be willing to share. Even $10 from a thousand people could go suc

When I was a teenager, I had an opportunity to go on a week-long summer camp with a bunch of youth from my church. I had been looking forward to this for a long time. I was also excited that my older sister would be there to show me all the great things about camp.   On the third day, the leaders took the youth that were there for the first time on a hike together. During these hikes, it was intended that we would learn about nature, survival skills, and the importance of sta

I stared out my car window at the pouring rain. “Please help the rain to stop” I fervently asked God. I asked again and again, but the rain continued to pour. I lived in a community that had a fair number of issues. Neighbors did not talk to each other often, and most kept to themselves. As I had thought about what I could do to help bring the community together some, I had realized that a fair number of guys in the area were working on restoring cars in their garages.   I sp

I learned I might be praying to avoid the very things I needed A genie in a bottle. A magic carpet. These were supposed to be from the story of Aladdin, but one day I realized they were not entirely fictional—they described my prayers.   “Bless me and my family with safety today.”   “Bless me and my family to be healthy.”   “Bless us to have the money we need.”   “Please help [name] get better.”   “Bless us to have peace on earth.”   The above statements are common statements

A significant amount of my prayers have gone unanswered. I’ve always believed and hoped that God answers prayers. I have prayed many times in my life and have received answers and guidance at various times. However, I have also prayed at other times, and have not received the items I earnestly sought for. Many of my prayers have simply resulted in silence and more questions and doubts rather than in guidance, inspiration, or clarity. I don’t imagine that my experience is much