If free will was not a thing and everything is set in stone forever, how did God not predict that Lucifer would betray Him?
He answers all prayers, just sometimes not in the way you'd expect, because He always delivers you what you NEED most, not what you WANT. All gestures towards God are welcome, because He wants all men to come to His house and worship Him, otherwise He wouldnt even have made His Son incarnate in our world!
Outcomes are only known to God, but He knows of your doubts and fears. Hesitation and doubt are the proof nothing is completely predicted all the time, so in a sense, God knows all outcomes, and knows what you will do all the times, but at the same time He allows you to have your own free will and choose your own way. He knows all outcomes of your choices. You are free to choose, He will know the results, and may or may not help you the way you want. One thing is certain: God always will give His mercy to those willing to submit to His word, and the more pious you are, the more He will give you want you NEED. Never throw away His gifts, as small as they are, because one of them can either change you life forever, or be forgotten forever.
Expanding on what you said about what you NEED Vs what you WANT. I am always afraid of how I go about praying. I'm always worried that praying, for example, strength, would grant me some kind of hard times that gives me the chance to gain strength. As apposed to inspiration or grace of strength. It's like inadvertently asking for hard times, like a monkey paw that benefits me in the end. Makes me feel like any prayer I could have has to be considered greatly. I feel like I prayer shouldn't be thrown out without consideration.
Maybe that is just hubris. I don't know.
Again, God puts your wishes on perspective for thr correct approach on what you need. He will not give you harder times just to give you strength, but maybe others need it more than you do... He will never give you a cross heavier than one you cannot bear. Prayers never will be useless, because if they were, Jesus wouldnt teach us "Our Father".
It seems you are doubtful on what to ask Him being afraid to not realise He may give you something that you do not want. Its always certain He will give you many gifts for every thing He gives you that you did not want.
As a personal example: today my son stayed submerged in a pool for a few seconds before his mother pulled him out from his hair. He jumped without a vest on and couldnt surface. He didnt drown nor was at risk, but he obviously got shook that he was unable to breathe and tried yelling underwater, ingesting water in the proccess. His lungs were clean, though.
Would you consider that a bad thing, or a blessing in disguise? It was an accident, but a relatively harmless one. The kid is still willing to swim and took it as merely an accident. He will be more careful now, obviously. Your perspective changes as you trust in His judgement. My belief is He sent this to us to warn our vigilance cannot lack. And lacking it was, at least for a few seconds... its all it takes.
I will pray for you, brother, your faith may be shook, but your heart is in the right place. Read on the saints who lost it all and yet never abandoned God. One I really love sharing is the story of Saint Hermenegild. He had it all as a prince, yet abandoned his heretic faith, yet lost everything to defend God. This is how you should be; an unmovable rock, impassable on your trust in His judgement. For His is a gentle hand.
Thank you, I will think about what you have shared with me.
Thank you. I thought God did know Lucifer would betray him, and chose to allow it?
He never knew it would lead to such chaos, or yet He wouldnt need to banish him nor give Saint Michael his sword. If He knew his most trusted angel would betray Him, Hed never make him.
He gave free will to Lucifer so he would choose He allowed it only to prove that even in the worst of wars, there is still a greater good, on a long enough timeline, that will be taken from it that weights heavier than the evils. Free will exists, and God knows of all outcomes from all choices made. He does not know your own choices in the same way we believe we can predict things, its more of a gutural instinct of knowing what will happen by seeing it happen zillions of times; He knows what are the consequences of all actions and choices, to a T, in an exact way, but knowing what we think is more like an instinctive way than exact. God will read all your intents, desires, wishes, and thoughts, but not in the same way you know how to think these things; after all, we are not God and cannot think like He does; and He does it for the entire universe, at the same time...
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