Question: None of my prayers are being answered lately. I wonder if God can hear me. What do you say to people who have this sort of crisis of faith?
Answer: I’m not sure you’re having a faith crisis. It takes a lot of faith (“trust”) to ask honest questions and to name genuine feelings. In fact, such honesty seems totally faithful to me.
That having been said, I wonder what you are praying for. Are you praying for peace of mind? Hope? Courage? Guidance? It seems to me that if you have prayed for any of those things, your prayer has been answered. You found the hope to ask a question, believing something comforting might be said in response. You found the courage to express your disappointments and your doubts. You found an avenue to safely, anonymously explore your issue. Sometimes we just need to step back a bit and see our experience from a broader perspective; and when we do, we find that grace has been active in the midst of our situation all along.
Imagine God as a warm, loving presence, holding you safely as you as ask your questions and proceed on your path. You may find that God is actually the source of strength that allows you to be your own answer to your prayers.
If you have questions about faith, the bible, the church, or sexuality & spirituality, you can email your questions to durrell@sunshinecathedral.org, or go to the Ask the Reverend Durrell Watkins page and click on the link there. Rev. Durrell Watkins will answer your questions and publish the answers here and in the weekly SunBurst. Your name will always be withheld, so only the actual question and the response will be published.
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