If God doesn't care what I want, why should I care what he wants?

[Dave G.]

One could ask, if someone just gave us eternal life and nothing more, would that not be enough ? God has done that but much more too, mercy and grace come to mind. Who are we that as tiny specs in God's created universe that He should care so much about us, if it were just eternal life alone ? Appreciate the gifts of God as they come and as they are.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Seriously, if he is going to hold back everything I ask him for, and shove down my throat EVERY SINGLE THING I beg him to keep out of my life, why should I care what he wants?

I don't care what the pain is for anymore. If it is for his glory, can't he take care of that himself without hurting me in the process? If it is to reach others, I don't care. If it is to show his power, again can't he do that without hurting me? He is omnipotent.

Each one of us will go through times of suffering, but it is not some sort of kick that God gets out of it, God actually plans for our good. As an example Job in the bible went through a great time of suffering, spurred on by Satan, but eventually God bought him out into a time of double blessing. The bible says "delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart"... this is not always immediate, in Jobs suffering I don't think he would have said during the suffering "God is giving me my hearts desires". The fact is there can be times of suffering, but God want us blessed in the end. As David said "I would have lost heart unless i had believe I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living". The bible does not say why we suffer, other than to suggest, we can comfort others who suffer, with the comfort God has given to us. This suggests that although we may suffer, God will offer comfort to us in the end. We just have to be patient, in the process, and not loose heart. As the bible says "we will reap a harvest if we do not loose heart [and hope]".

 

[derpytia]

Seriously, if he is going to hold back everything I ask him for, and shove down my throat EVERY SINGLE THING I beg him to keep out of my life, why should I care what he wants?

I don't care what the pain is for anymore. If it is for his glory, can't he take care of that himself without hurting me in the process? If it is to reach others, I don't care. If it is to show his power, again can't he do that without hurting me? He is omnipotent.

We are dust and to dust we shall return. Compared to God, we humans are absolutely nothing. We are born in sin and our thoughts and desires are tainted by that sin. Compared to God, who is wholly good, we are worse than the dirt beneath His metaphorical shoe.

You cannot ask God for things you want while simultaneously pushing Him away and saying "I don't need you". Keep pushing Him away and you'll learn the hard way (like I did) that when you are down on the ground and at the lowest point you will eat your words and beg Him to come back into your life because you realize that you DO need Him. Don't make the same mistakes as I did.

I've also been through a lot of things. I don't know if you've read my posts on here but I've lost a lot in the past 5-6 years and a lot of terrible things have happened to me throughout my life. I did get very angry at God for a long while but I'd like to think that thanks to His patience with me, I am coming back around.

Most of us will never know fully why God allows us to bear with so much pain in our lives until after we pass on. So, we have before us a choice. Can we live with not knowing and trust that God works out everything for our benefit in the end or do we curse Him for not giving us every detail and never trust Him again? You have to make a choice and you can't be divided or chose both at the same time. This is but one trial of faith that all believers must go through. You are not alone.

Remember that God loves you more than you will ever be able to understand yet. He loves us all so much that even while we were still steeped in sin, even though we humans are only dust, He sent Christ to pay the price of sin for us even though He never committed a single sin.

 

[Questioning Brother]

I wrote this 2 years ago originally. I came up a little for a while, but since have had even more happen. God has made it abundantly clear he doesn't care, or not enough to act. I don't trust him anymore, when I did when I wrote the original post. Everything happening in my life right now are things I have begged him for years to keep away from my life. I don't care what the purpose is. It isn't a good enough reason. I am about at the point that I don't believe God has enough to make up for this. His hand in my shoulder trying to comfort me is meaningless without his acting to fix the problem. I would rather he keep ALL of his comforting, empty, words and act to provide real help. I just want him to follow his own words from James 2:16 "and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" That is God standing back and not actually doing anything that would ACTUALLY help. I don't need comforting, I need action.

 

[Sketcher]

I wrote this 2 years ago originally. I came up a little for a while, but since have had even more happen. God has made it abundantly clear he doesn't care, or not enough to act. I don't trust him anymore, when I did when I wrote the original post. Everything happening in my life right now are things I have begged him for years to keep away from my life. I don't care what the purpose is. It isn't a good enough reason. I am about at the point that I don't believe God has enough to make up for this. His hand in my shoulder trying to comfort me is meaningless without his acting to fix the problem. I would rather he keep ALL of his comforting, empty, words and act to provide real help. I just want him to follow his own words from James 2:16 "and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" That is God standing back and not actually doing anything that would ACTUALLY help. I don't need comforting, I need action.

And why exactly do you need God to act rather than acting yourself? What exactly do you want or need God to do for you?

 

[derpytia]

I wrote this 2 years ago originally. I came up a little for a while, but since have had even more happen. God has made it abundantly clear he doesn't care, or not enough to act. I don't trust him anymore, when I did when I wrote the original post. Everything happening in my life right now are things I have begged him for years to keep away from my life. I don't care what the purpose is. It isn't a good enough reason. I am about at the point that I don't believe God has enough to make up for this. His hand in my shoulder trying to comfort me is meaningless without his acting to fix the problem. I would rather he keep ALL of his comforting, empty, words and act to provide real help. I just want him to follow his own words from James 2:16 "and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" That is God standing back and not actually doing anything that would ACTUALLY help. I don't need comforting, I need action.

But who are you compared to everyone else? Are you somehow more special, more beloved, more good and righteous than your neighbor who also might be Christian and struggling with something God has not acted on? What qualities do you possess that make you more worthy of God's "fix it" in your life than someone else who also needs help and hasn't received it?

Does not the rain fall on both the good and the evil? Are not God's ways higher than your ways?

I empathize with you friend, because I too feel this sort of emotional pain on a daily basis. But I am completely broken and it is only by God's will that I am alive today. Had I a choice, I would have offed myself years ago. But I don't have a choice because I do not belong to myself. My life and death belongs to God alone because I've been bought with the blood of Jesus and because aside from that I am nothing but dust. Aside from that, all of us are nothing but dust. Sometimes, I think we humans get too big of a head about our own value.

But God valued you enough to send Jesus to pay for all your sins. That's both awe inspiring and terrifying. Terrifying because it means that either way, justice will be done and nobody will escape it.

If you don't feel blessed then maybe it's time to focus on two things.

One: be a blessing to others. Sometimes, it is through serving others and being kind to others that we receive the most blessings ourselves. You may just be the answer to someone's prayer.

Two: learn to endure in hope. You are not the first to suffer so much nor will you be the last. Your life doesn't belong to you and so you will have no choice but to endure. But you can either endure in bitterness and turn into a person you are not proud of or you can endure in hope and look to God for furture vindication and help.

 

[Questioning Brother]

And why exactly do you need God to act rather than acting yourself? What exactly do you want or need God to do for you?

My wife had had 3 strokes since June. Things have been tough with medical coverage (lots of complications with the insurance). On top of that, many complications at work also. I can work on those, but the strokes, no one EXCEPT God can help. I don't want his hand on my shoulder. I want him to fix the problems.

As for the Job crowd. A) God didn't restore everything. The kids were still dead. B) God didn't tell him why because the reason(a bet with Satan). Would have driven Job away. C) I am not Job. My wife in that situation wouldn't have had to tell me to curse God.

I don't want the spiritual gifts because of the pain involved in getting them.

 

[thecolorsblend]

Seriously, if he is going to hold back everything I ask him for, and shove down my throat EVERY SINGLE THING I beg him to keep out of my life, why should I care what he wants?

I don't care what the pain is for anymore. If it is for his glory, can't he take care of that himself without hurting me in the process? If it is to reach others, I don't care. If it is to show his power, again can't he do that without hurting me? He is omnipotent.

Sometimes the lessons we learn from pain are the ones that make us the strongest.

Also, Job went through a lot of pain. Jonah went through a lot of personal aggravation. Our Lord was nailed to wood in order to make a sacrifice for a bunch of wretched ingrates. As Christians, we have all collectively and individually benefited from their experiences.

I sympathize with you and I pray for you. But remember, your walk was appointed to you by the Almighty Himself. Even the world's smartest man can't predict the future. Whatever is in store for your future, God believes the best way to bring it about is by putting you in the circumstances you're facing now.

And that should be a comforting thought.

 

[Questioning Brother]

No that is not comforting at all. In fact that is worse. I don't care what this is trying to bring about. It cannot be worth this. The only future this is bringing about for me is one where I end up apart from God because I hate him. If that is his goal, then he is doing a great job!

 

[usexpat97]

Mad at God. I get it. All I would ask is, patience. God won't strike you with lightning because you shook your fist. Be patient with God. God, please be patient with him.

 

[samwise gamgee]

I want a life of ease, comfort, and stability. Beyond that the only other thing is to not go to Hell. That is pretty much my main reason for wanting to be ANY kind of follower of Christ. He is the only way to avoid it. I have no interest in reaching people, spreading the kingdom, or displaying God's power/glory(I don't even want to suffer or my own glory). In fact, I would be perfectly fine with living a life that reading a book about it cures extreme insomnia. I don't care about a great (as in important) life, or whether anyone beyond like my grandchildren will remember my name. I want a smooth easy journey. A bad journey to an extremely awesome destination is a bad journey. A little trial (tribulation, pain, take your pick) is a deadly poison for a blessing.

What you are really saying is that you are rejecting the purpose for which you were created. God never promises us a life of ease during this life but he does promise that the reward we receive for faithful service will make all our present suffering worthwhile.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 English Standard Version (ESV)
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

 

[Questioning Brother]

what you are really saying is you are rejecting the purpose for which you were created. God never promises us a life of ease during this life but he does promise that the reward we receive for faithful service will make all our present suffering worthwhile.

.

There is no reward remotely worth what I am going through now. And yes, I reject a purpose that requires the pain and difficulty I have now. The reason is completely irrelevant. This is a net loss regardless of what is awaiting me at the end. An truly wondrous and glorious destination doesn't redeem a terrible journey.

 

[samwise gamgee]

There is no reward remotely worth what I am going through now.

How do you know that? What we experience in Heaven will be something beyond anything we can conceive of now. Perhaps this will give you a new perspective on the subject:

An eternal weight of damnation

 

[Questioning Brother]

No that just reinforces things. It is a proof of God planning this pain out. His comfort is absolutely meaningless without actual help. I don't care what it is on the other side. There is NO possibility of it making it worth it. Nothing is worth struggling or suffering for. My life has reinforced THAT many times. Anything I ever actually worked for turned out to be not worth it. Conversely anything that was actually good came to me with little to no effort on my part.

I don't care about his comfort. If he isn't going to help, then what good is he. Again I just want him to follow his own Book's words: James 2:16 "and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? " That is God giving me comfort without actually fixing things.

 

[samwise gamgee]

There is NO possibility of it making it worth it.

There is no way you can know that is true until you actually experience what it will be like after you die.

 

[Questioning Brother]

No, but I know what it would take to make up for what I am going through now, and frankly the entirety of his holdings would barely be enough. That includes all his property and powers.

 

[LoricaLady]

Seriously, if he is going to hold back everything I ask him for, and shove down my throat EVERY SINGLE THING I beg him to keep out of my life, why should I care what he wants?

I don't care what the pain is for anymore. If it is for his glory, can't he take care of that himself without hurting me in the process? If it is to reach others, I don't care. If it is to show his power, again can't he do that without hurting me? He is omnipotent.

It is not smart to grumble and complain against the Almighty, as Scriptures state more than once. It only leads to more problems. The Lord doesn't do "attitude."

Pain is not for His glory. It indicates, just like physical pain, that there is some issue that needs to be dealt with. He does not need to make anyone feel pain to get glory. He created everything. He is infinite, omnipotent, all knowing. Like He needs the suffering of a little germ, on a speck of blue dust floating in the cosmos, to get glory? I don't think so! What glorifies Him is what spreads love and light because He IS Love and Light.

Why should you care about what He wants? Because what He wants for you is better for you than what you think is good for you that disagrees with Him.

Instead of berating Him, turn to Him and ask Him what the problems are, what the hold ups are. There is at least a small chance that at least to some extent you already know. If you are like most of us, at one time or another, there is something and/or someone in your life that you know He ain't happy about, but you think you know better than Him.

So often, we want His blessings, and want His help, but we don't want to do the things that He tells us to do which, again, are really better for us, infinitely, than we want for ourselves.

 

[samwise gamgee]

No, but I know what it would take to make up for what I am going through now, and frankly the entirety of his holdings would barely be enough. That includes all his property and powers.

There is one other thing God offers. To those who repent of their sins and trust in him he gives a new relationship as his sons. This includes a new nature which is able to receive spiritual truth. Your answer makes me wonder if you have received this gift. You indicate that you are a Baptist. I know from personal experience that it is possible to be a member of a church without having been born again. If this is your experience that would explain why your attention is focused on your present suffering and not on the experience that is awaiting you in Heaven. In 1 Corinthians 13:5 Paul said, "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" Perhaps you should examine yourself. A good way to do that would be to carefully read 1 John and compare what it says with your own life and experiences.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
1 John 5:13 ESV

Studying this book can also reveal if you don't have eternal life.

 

[waitingoneternity]

No, but I know what it would take to make up for what I am going through now, and frankly the entirety of his holdings would barely be enough. That includes all his property and powers.

I empathize deeply with your struggle.

Unfortunately when you flesh your thought processes out it leads to a place you don’t really want to go whether you see that now or not.

I am where you are....different circumstances but the same feelings. Pain must be filtered through a lens of Biblical truth if it is to be understood properly to the extent that it can be from wherever we are in the process.

I appreciate that you came by these feelings honest, I pray that the Lord would give you whatever it is you need to move forward positively, I pray his mercy upon you and that he would heal your wife and your work situation, I pray that you would be open to listening to whatever he be willing to say to you about this and open to the folks in this thread only to the extent that the Lord speak through them, and lastly my heart goes out to you.