God "carrying" you

[Anonymous]

Our family has had a really rough stretch of years. I'm not going to go into details, but I think most people would look at my life, and at what my kids have been through, and think "wow, that's an enormous amount of loss and trauma".

I have done my best to mitigate the impact, but we're all really struggling, and it just keeps coming.

Anyway, today something's going on, and I asked someone I know to pray for us. They replied that they would pray that God continues to carry us, as he has been doing all along.

I consider myself Christian, although I struggle with my faith recently, but I am entirely unsure what this means. Can someone help me figure it out? Because it seems like prayers that things continue as they have been going. And they haven't been going well, which this person knows.

[Anonymous]

All I can think is that silly trope of the footsteps on the beach.

[Anonymous]

Have you read Footsteps? When you think life is hard, God us carrying you. Having God carry you doesn’t mean you don’t have hard times or difficulties in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All I can think is that silly trope of the footsteps on the beach.

Right but even that silly trope the idea is that he's picking you up and putting you down. That the bad times come and then they go. Except the bad times don't seem to be going. I feel like they're praying for them to continue, except this is a nice person who I assume meant to provide comfort, and I can't believe they actually meant "Oh, I'm going to pray that things stay this bad!" So, I'm trying to figure out what they did actually mean.

-- OP

[Anonymous]

When you compare yourself to others around the world who believe in God is the “ bad stuff” happening really that terrible? Or things that happen to people throughout life ? I’m not trying to be a jerk but without specifics of your situation it’s hard to answer you. People will die, people get sick, bad things happen, it doesn’t mean God doesn’t care for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All I can think is that silly trope of the footsteps on the beach.

Right but even that silly trope the idea is that he's picking you up and putting you down. That the bad times come and then they go. Except the bad times don't seem to be going. I feel like they're praying for them to continue, except this is a nice person who I assume meant to provide comfort, and I can't believe they actually meant "Oh, I'm going to pray that things stay this bad!" So, I'm trying to figure out what they did actually mean.

-- OP

Your interpretation of that trope is way too literal and not at all how most ppl would interpret it. This person just meant that you obviously need strength from God right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you compare yourself to others around the world who believe in God is the “ bad stuff” happening really that terrible? Or things that happen to people throughout life ? I’m not trying to be a jerk but without specifics of your situation it’s hard to answer you. People will die, people get sick, bad things happen, it doesn’t mean God doesn’t care for you.

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When you compare yourself to others around the world who believe in God is the “ bad stuff” happening really that terrible? Or things that happen to people throughout life ? I’m not trying to be a jerk but without specifics of your situation it’s hard to answer you. People will die, people get sick, bad things happen, it doesn’t mean God doesn’t care for you.

Yes.

Sorry, I should have been clear that was OP saying that I generally don’t like to compare, when I do compare I can say it is really “that bad”.

[Anonymous]

I’ve never heard the phrase that God is carrying people through difficult times or situations. If you want to know what your friend means by the phrase they used, ask them. Nobody posting here knows what he/she meant.

[Anonymous]

I would think they mean that God is carrying you as in giving you strength to persevere through tough times. God doesn’t always clear the way I’m our earthly struggles but He does help us through it.

[Anonymous]

op, clarify with your friend what they meant with the phrase.
You have to use your words and communicate with your friends, don’t come to an anonymous online forum and take advice from strangers who really don’t know what your friend meant.

It’s not a good way to have a relationship with friends.

[Anonymous]

with sincerity: are you worried that God will hear this prayer and interpret it in such a way that God does not lift the current burdens? Or Are you upset that your friend's prayer is not for the lift of the current burdens? Or something else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:with sincerity: are you worried that God will hear this prayer and interpret it in such a way that God does not lift the current burdens? Or Are you upset that your friend's prayer is not for the lift of the current burdens? Or something else?

No. I don't believe that prayer works that way.

But, having had catastrophic outcomes in the past, and seeing another catastrophe potentially looming, the idea that someone is praying for anything to be the same is hard.

[Anonymous]

It means prayers to God for you to have strength during difficult times.

[Anonymous]

Lots of biblical figures had horrible circumstances. Deaths of immediate family, imprisonment, exile. But they persevered, in faith. We don't know how God is working all the time, but he knows every hair on your head. I'd pray for knowledge of God's will for you, and for the power to carry that out. 🙏