Prayer and IBS

Hi CandyI'm not a religious person (although my boyfriend is and we discuss it a lot) but I totally understand the desire to pray during the attacks.Having this disease is not a reason to lose faith, if you followed that logic then you should have lost faith already, look at all the terrible things that happen in the world. The universe is a strange place, we can't bend it in to shape, it is just what it is. Some of us are sick, and there's no justice in it and its not a punishment either. Perhaps God if he indeed exists chooses not to intervene for reasons we cannot understand. If God is (as the bible says) omnipotent and all powerful then the only conclusion is that he sometimes chooses not to intervene in situations of illness and manifestations of evil in general. You may never know the answer to that so why not keep faith if it gives you hope and comfort. Just don't expect it to make you better, because it might not. Again I am not a religious person but from my understanding God's purpose is to give us the hope and strength to endure life's struggles, not make them go away.

To Arnie and everyone else who posted - I am really struggling with the religion issue, I was raised in an atheist home so faith does not come naturally to me, and I have to say certain aspects of organized religion repel me somewhat. But so far these are the conclusions I have come to:1) There must be an intelligence in the world greater than us. If we are the best the universe could come up with, that's pretty sad, and I can't believe it. Plus, just scientifically speaking, every species has a parent. If we are the be all and end all, there's no point to anything and we might as well indeed blow ourselves up. 2) Either our sufferings are part of a greater process or lesson in terms of humanity's spritual evolution, or again, there is no point to anything, and we might as well blow ourselves up.Beyond this, so far, I haven't grasped how to approach my spiritual life. I don't like the church my b/f goes to and I think some of his spiritual ideas are plain wrong and "passing the buck". I think some Christians put too much emphasis on the hereafter and too much emphasis on the forgiveness of sins...also much of the Christian worldview just doesn't correspond with what I have perceived about the nature of the universe...I would like to hear from anyone their thoughts on these and related matters...I feel at thirty years I need some maturity and wisdom in spiritual matters or I will be floundering and wasting my life.

Exactly, I what he does interfear with, is things that were not in his design. not in our "destiny" like people who get ultra severe cases of Cancer, but somehow make a miricle recovery that leaves oncologists in absolute shock and awe.I used to pray when I was in pain.. and i am constantly. Not just with my stomach, slowly week by week. something else goes wrong with my body. something doctors still havn't given me an answer too. but it seems as each week passes. one of the problems go away, and a new one takes it's place.Anyways, yes what would be the point of free will. if god decided to come to aid us in our every whim and such? but.. as stated somewhere. that in a weird study. people who had people praying for them, or was praying them selves. recovered faster or recovered from certain things, that the other group who wasn't praying or being prayed for. but your mind can do alot. if you BELEIVE god is walking next to you. and healing you, your body will comply.I've healed grevious wounds before in half the time the doctor told me it would take, because i never let my spirit down. (I was thrown off of a bike, and in trhough the front window of a car before.)

Modgy, I've just noticed that you live in Sydney. I had assumed you lived in the States which has, of course, a far greater church attendance and allegiance than in this part of the world. I imagine that most school leavers here would not be able to recite the Lord's Prayer from memory or would ever read the Bible. Apart from the charismatic churches, there tends to be a 'greying' membership of many churches.It is a shame, as the Bible gives hope and encouragement, as well as peace of mind. It also sets a standard for how to live and gives us the yardstick to love our neighbour as ourselves.The message preached so often today is how you can be blessed with happiness, wealth and good health. Yet, as Miss C alluded, it is in hardship that we are made stronger. When Job was struck with every sort of affliction, he did not renounce his faith. Sometimes I wonder why I don't have good digestion. I have prayed for it to normalise, and although I've felt frustrated, depressed and upset about it, I've never felt angry.They say that there are three answers to prayer:yesnowaitI hope we're all in a waiting phase and that, some day, we'll be rid of this physical hang-up.

Hey all thanks for the replies which are getting me thinking along more productive lines!Miss C - the statements you made ring very true to me, but they also sound like the kinds of statements someone who might believe in reincarnation would make (?).As in I thought in the Christian theological view, every baby starts out as a perfect clean slate, and so it couldn't be quite the case that you needed to learn particular lessons unless you were a fair way on in life and were becoming entrenched in ways of being that require a "karmic" answer? Does that make sense?But I think your right that spiritual development is about what lessons we need to learn.Hey Arnie I didn't realise you were in NZ! Your right i've noticed here in OZ that its only the more "fringe" christian groups which are growing, and now they seem to be becoming active in politics too. My b/f is an old fashioned Anglican, and he worries about some of the new religious tendencies appearing in our country...

Hi everyone,I am still a newbie - but I will add my "two cents".I have been a believer in Christ for almost fifteen years. I have also been through many physical trials. Yes, I pray for the symptoms to stop - but I also pray for strength to bear up under the symptoms. I could not do this without the assurance that the Lord is not only walking beside me, but is holding me up when I am too weak to walk.I try to keep in mind the "Goodness of God". I keep a list of things that I am thankful for. I know when you are dealing with physical issues (and other issues as well) that that is difficult. I focus on simple things like 1) being able to eat (I have been on TPN) even when I do not like the "aftereffects and 2)I have wonderful health insurance!!! and 3) that whatever I am going through, other people are worse off than I am! - and I can in turn pray for them.I try to stay in the present and not try to fret about the future!I hope that what I have said is helpful.