Quote of the Day

"I have found that even in the obstinate prayer, even in the prayer that is not answered to my liking, I can survive the pain...I can allow my will to be bent to his so long as I know that God abides even in the mystery of the divine no. He is here, even in this.

 Does bending the will of man to the will of God mean that praying for the desired outcome ceases? Quite the contrary. If those prayers ceased, men would never be required to face their inability to change the eternal aspects of life. If those prayers ceased, would men pray in the hope that, yes, sometimes God changes his mind? If those prayers ceased, would we understand the presence of God as being with us in conversation, or would we rather see him as the dictator of divine edicts? The Good Book shows us example after example of God-fearing men who prayed in the face of certain answers. Sometimes God changes his mind or relents. Sometimes he does not. All this is part of the divine mystery...This is an expression of faith that hurts. The bones of faith are brittle. This is a product of the human condition. When our prayers go unanswered, when God does not meet us at the point of our desires, we turn to the lowercase gods to ease the pain of living...I feel the anger of faith unanswered, and I tell God. Yet I feel relief that God is present, that he is speaking even in the divine no..."

                            - Seth Haines in Coming Clean