Friend Dying

In the bible, people prayed and people
still died...some were brought back to life
but when the prophet Elisha got sick, he prayed
to be made well but he died...this man of God
died in faith, so much so that when the body of
another person was placed in the same grave,
that person was resurrected!

Do note that the prophet Elisha wasn't resurrected with the other person...it was only the man who was buried in the same grave many years later, who received the gift of being raised to life -because Elisha died in faith...meaning he died believing he would be healed/raised to life... it didn't matter whether it was in this world or in the next, Elisha believed he'd live again and he
shall according to biblical account of the resurrection of our Lord in whom we trust for
salvation.

We know that the natural process is that we are born, we live and we will at some point die...the day of that death is known to God.
The important thing is to be ready, by seeking God's gift of salvation by placing one's faith in
Jesus.

Lean on the LORD no matter what happens...continue
to pray for your friend and to be there with his family.
Your presence and care means a lot to a family at times
such as this.

Each day is a gift and we should strive to
live in a way that shows we appreciate the gift
of "today" and honor the Giver (God) by how we
live out each day we are given.
Psalm 118:24
"This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it."

Im sorry to hear that but we all die one day..the important thing is your friend is right with God. Those that are right with God and saved, we will get to spend eternity with so nothing is lost.

We will just miss them on earth. But we will have all the time in heaven.
remember when Jesus was resurrected, appearing to Mary, and she just wanted to cling to him? but Jesus said He had to go to his Father. Who is our Father too.

So sorry to hear that,it is a hard road to walk seeing somebody you love close to death.It isn't always that God isn't answering your prayers,you must remember that God's will is Sovereign.God has numbered all of our days and ultimately His will is not always what we expected.I will pray for both you and your friend.

I try to remember that Life if the JOURNEY and Heaven is HOME.
His life (long or short) is in God's perfect plan for him.
Cherish the moments you had together and honor him by a virtuous life by reflecting those things that he inspired in you.
Take hope that one day you will be reunited with him.
I am sorry for your loss ~ May Christ be your strength, hope, Presence, and peace in the days ahead

CurlyGirl01 said:

Hello, everyone. Thank you all for your prayers. My friend's condition from an accident has gone downhill. He was basically a role model of mine, and it happened so suddenly (I was just talking to him a week ago!).

I don't want to feel this way, but j just keep questioning. Why didn't God answer my prayers? I prayed SO HARD for such an amount of time! I talked aloud to God in the car, and begged. People came together and prayed and pleaded. I just want to understand.

Please, anything would be great.

Thanks <3

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i have two pieces of advice for you to consider: one for your current situation, and one to help you prepare for the next occurrence of such a situation.

for your current situation:

remember Lazarus?

Joh 11:39-40 KJV
(39) Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.
(40) Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

Martha was trying to tell Jesus that it was too late for Him to help her brother; he was already decomposing in the tomb. Look closely at what Jesus told Martha: "if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God". so step one is to stop questioning God's faithfulness and consider that He is bound by His word and MUST have someone in a flesh body who is in faith to work through no matter how much He wants to help your friend - don't decide your prayers were rejected simply because you haven't seen the desired result yet; expect to see improvement based on your faith in God's faithfulness, and don't be discouraged even if things get worse for the moment. and remember that this man's faith is key to his miracle; if he is not in faith, God is bound by His word to respect that decision no matter how much it grieves Him - if your friend is conscious and lucid, go and read scriptures about healing to him so that by hearing the word his faith in God's healing can become more and more effective. if he's not conscious:

Jas 5:14-15 KJV
(14) Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
(15) And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

when James wrote this, the elders of the church at that time believed in miracles of healing; look for people who believe for and expect miracles to pray for this man.

for the next occurrence of such a situation

Jas 5:14-15 KJV
(14) Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
(15) And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

the question is: what IS the prayer of faith?

is it to beg God to do something more? to get a minimum number of people to beg? to beg for a certain minimum amount of time?

Mar 16:14-18 KJV
(14) Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
(15) And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
(16) He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
(17) And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
(18) They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

did Jesus tell us to beg God to heal the sick? or did He tell US to lay hands on and heal the sick?

this takes time to prepare for...here's a good start:

http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/1036
http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/1033
http://moorelife.org/listseries.php?xml=rss/QuestionsAboutHealing.xml

God made man in his own image - Image, as we know is a good example of our physical appearance in the mirror, and in fact what we see are mere genetically-built vessels that contain our invincible soul and the holy spirit of Jehovah's Creation combined - but sin has spoilt our physical identities from becoming permanent ageless and youthful healthy adults like Adam and Eve before they had sinned, the first adult couples to do so,
and unusual as it may seem, Jesus has been chosen to sacrifice his life for our sins so that "death" is merely a temporary fast-forward sleep towards our ultimate Christ-transformation with new genius-intelligent minds and measure-perfect bodies of Christ, as new brothers and sisters of Christ on a new disaster-free paradise Earth:.
Our minds during sleep is not aware of time moving forward, and that means that once resurrection in Christ's Second Coming occurs, it might seem only a few minutes that you passed away, when in fact decades or centuries can pass away, depending on when in history you were born.;'*';.

I don't understand either. I've gone through all those questions myself, for a friend who is now wheelchair bound, can't speak too well, can't see too well, and is now horribly overweight. He got that way because of a stroke that happened as a complication of heart surgery that he needed due to a genetic defect. He had been very fit and sociable before this all happened. Now he can barely remember my name.

God still is who He is though. None of this has any bearing on Him.

I am so glad to hear your friend is doing well. I will pray for his health and for God to give you understanding into His will. God answers all our prayers, according to his will. Remember that"no" is an answer too. Just not one we like to hear.

it's true that if we ask according to the flesh, the answer will be no (for our own good; for our own protection); otherwise:

1Jn 5:14-15 KJV
(14) And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
(15) And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Mat 21:21-22 KJV
(21) Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
(22) And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

it's always God's will to heal; but He needs us to agree with Him and not doubt, and to follow His instructions, as each person's free will rules in their own life in the flesh.

Mat 13:15 KJV
(15) For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

90% of the israelites had completely forsaken God when Isaiah received a vision from the Lord:

Isa 6:8-10 KJV
(8) Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
(9) And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
(10) Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

verse 10 in the GNB translation:

Isa 6:10 GNB
(10) Then he said to me, "Make the minds of these people dull, their ears deaf, and their eyes blind, so that they cannot see or hear or understand. If they did, they might turn to me and be healed."

look closely at the last phrase 'they might turn to me and be healed'; not 'they might turn to me and maybe be healed'

focus your mind on the Lord, focus your ears and eyes on His word, so that you can see and hear and understand; turn to Him and be healed.

DiscipleHeLovesToo said:

it's true that if we ask according to the flesh, the answer will be no (for our own good; for our own protection); otherwise:

1Jn 5:14-15 KJV
(14) And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
(15) And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Mat 21:21-22 KJV
(21) Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
(22) And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

it's always God's will to heal; but He needs us to agree with Him and not doubt, and to follow His instructions, as each person's free will rules in their own life in the flesh.

Mat 13:15 KJV
(15) For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

90% of the israelites had completely forsaken God when Isaiah received a vision from the Lord:

Isa 6:8-10 KJV
(8) Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
(9) And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
(10) Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

verse 10 in the GNB translation:

Isa 6:10 GNB
(10) Then he said to me, "Make the minds of these people dull, their ears deaf, and their eyes blind, so that they cannot see or hear or understand. If they did, they might turn to me and be healed."

look closely at the last phrase 'they might turn to me and be healed'; not 'they might turn to me and maybe be healed'

focus your mind on the Lord, focus your ears and eyes on His word, so that you can see and hear and understand; turn to Him and be healed.

Click to expand...

Not quite sure what your saying here? Are you saying that God says yes to anything we ask for in faith? If that's what you are saying, then I am sorry, but you are wrong. God doesn't always say yes. No one has more faith then Jesus, yet in Matthew 26:39,"He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." God will was No, drink the cup! 2 Corinthians 12: 7-9, Paul says,"there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-- to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you," Again, this is the Father saying No!

I agree with you that we must ask in Faith, for it is impossible to please God without faith, but it only happens if it's according to God's will. Isaiah 55:8,""For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.. He is Omniscient and knows what is best, regardless of where it takes us!

God always answers prayer, but often in ways we dont expect.

God bless you both

I am praying for you both.

Christian Soldier 777 said:

Not quite sure what your saying here? Are you saying that God says yes to anything we ask for in faith? If that's what you are saying, then I am sorry, but you are wrong. God doesn't always say yes. No one has more faith then Jesus, yet in Matthew 26:39,"He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." God will was No, drink the cup! 2 Corinthians 12: 7-9, Paul says,"there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-- to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you," Again, this is the Father saying No!

I agree with you that we must ask in Faith, for it is impossible to please God without faith, but it only happens if it's according to God's will. Isaiah 55:8,""For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.. He is Omniscient and knows what is best, regardless of where it takes us!

Click to expand...

remember that faith is based exclusively on what God has said; so to ask for something that He has promised in His word is to ask for something He's already given you - of course His answer will be 'YES!' every time you ask in faith!

every time you ask according to God's stated will, His answer will have to be 'Yes!'...

every time you ask according to faith, His answer will have to be "Yes!'...

because faith is always based exclusively on God's stated will...

faith = belief in God's stated will

it is impossible to ask in faith in opposition to God's stated will - because faith must be based in God's stated will (in what God has already said); faith is ALWAYS based on God's stated will, so when you 'ask in faith' <'ask according to God's stated will'> His answer MUST be 'Yes!' every time; but we must agree with Him to see His will come to pass in this physical world...

Look closely at Matthew 36:39 - if you assume that the 'cup' Jesus referred to was His crucifixion (and where does the Bible say that btw?), then was He asking according to God's stated will for His life? personally, i think it is ridiculous to assume that Jesus was asking God to deliver Him from crucifixion; it is implying that He was in opposition to God's stated will for His life that He pay for the sins of the whole world with His life on the cross - that's unbelief...

Paul CLEARLY defined his 'thorn in the flesh' as 'a messenger of satan sent to buffet me' - Paul was whining about the persecution he was suffering due to his being 'exalted above measure'; think about this - would satan exalt Paul for 'the abundance of revelations <about the Gospel>' that he had receive from God; or would it be God that was exalting Paul for the abundance of revelations that he had received from God? and what did God give to Paul? what was the grace that God gave him? 'that the power of Christ may rest upon me'...

stop believing what men have taught about what the Bible says and look at what it actually says...