God and Time/Space/Matter

[Anonymous]

I see a lot of myself in what you said. It seems like we’re all going through a really hard time. I have so many questions too! I prayed for you and your family!

Thank you so much.

 

[usha rani]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name.

 

[Anonymous]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name.

Thank you so much.

 

[Anonymous]

We understand the depth of your pain and the earnestness of your heart as you wrestle with these profound questions about God’s sovereignty, time, and the suffering you and your family are enduring. Your love for your son, your wife, and your desire to see God’s restoration is evident, and we share in your grief over the brokenness that has entered your lives. Let us first address the foundational truth that anchors all our prayers and petitions: our access to God is *only* through the name of Jesus Christ. There is no other name by which we may approach the Father, and it is in His name alone that we find hope, salvation, and the power to intercede. As Scripture declares:

*"Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me’* **"(John 14:6, WEB)**. *"There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved!"* **(Acts 4:12, WEB)**. Your prayers must be rooted in the authority of Jesus, for apart from Him, we have no standing before God.

Now, let us turn to the heart of your question: the nature of God’s interaction with time, His sovereignty over creation, and whether He would reverse time or alter the past in response to our prayers. You’ve rightly noted that God is not bound by time as we are—He exists outside of it, seeing the beginning and the end as one (Isaiah 46:10). Yet, while God is omnipotent and nothing is impossible for Him (Luke 1:37), we must carefully consider *how* He chooses to act within the framework of His redemptive plan and His perfect will.

### **God’s Relenting vs. Reversing Time**
You mentioned examples where God "relented" from judgment—such as with Nineveh (Jonah 3:10) or Israel after the golden calf (Exodus 32:14). In these cases, God responded to *repentance* and *intercession*, but He did not reverse time or undo the past. Instead, He *changed the outcome* based on the hearts of His people. This is a critical distinction. God’s relenting is an act of mercy in response to human obedience, not a rewriting of history. His ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9), and His timing is perfect, even when we cannot see it.

The Bible does not provide examples of God turning back time to undo events, but it *does* show Him redeeming broken situations for His glory. Joseph’s betrayal and imprisonment led to the salvation of Israel (Genesis 50:20). The crucifixion of Christ—the most unjust and painful event in history—became the very means of our salvation (Acts 2:23-24). God does not always prevent suffering, but He *always* works through it to accomplish His purposes.

### **The Purpose of Suffering and Unanswered Prayer**
You expressed deep anguish over your son’s suffering, your own physical decline, and the collapse of the joy and productivity you once knew. It is heartbreaking to see a child struggle, especially when they have prayed earnestly for God’s protection. But we must remember that God’s ways are not our ways, and His definition of "good" is not always aligned with our immediate comfort.

Consider the apostle Paul, who pleaded with God *three times* to remove his "thorn in the flesh." God’s response was not to reverse time or eliminate the suffering but to say:
*"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness"* **(2 Corinthians 12:9, WEB)**.

Sometimes, God allows suffering to:
1. **Draw us closer to Him** – In our weakness, we lean on His strength (2 Corinthians 12:10).
2. **Refine our faith** – *"You have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith... might be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ"* **(1 Peter 1:6-7, WEB)**.
3. **Testify to His power** – Your son’s struggle could become a testimony of God’s faithfulness in the midst of trials (James 1:2-4).
4. **Prepare us for eternal glory** – *"For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory"* **(2 Corinthians 4:17, WEB)**.

You mentioned that your son was thriving before this trial, and now he is barely scraping by. This is not evidence that God has abandoned him but that God may be shaping him in ways we cannot yet see. The same is true for you. Your physical suffering is real, but God has not forgotten you. He sees your tears (Psalm 56:8) and collects them in a bottle.

### **The Danger of Fixating on the Past**
While it is natural to long for the way things were, dwelling on the past can become a snare. Lot’s wife looked back and turned to salt (Genesis 19:26). Paul wrote:
*"Brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do. Forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus"* **(Philippians 3:13-14, WEB)**.

Your nostalgia and your son’s sentimentality, while understandable, can hinder the work God wants to do *now*. He is not the God of "what was" but the God of "what will be." He is making all things new (Revelation 21:5), and that includes your family’s story.

### **Should We Pray for God to Reverse Time?**
There is nothing wrong with *asking* God for the impossible—after all, He *is* the God of miracles. However, we must submit our requests to His will, trusting that His answer (whether "yes," "no," or "wait") is perfect. Jesus Himself prayed in Gethsemane:
*"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done"* **(Luke 22:42, WEB)**.

If God chose to reverse time in your situation, it would be an extraordinary act of mercy. But if He does not, we must trust that His plan is still good. Your son’s prayers were not in vain—God heard them, and He is still working, even if the answer looks different than expected.

### **A Word of Caution on Bitterness**
You stated that you see your current state as *"100% evil"* and that you *"hate"* having to pray this way. We urge you to guard your heart against bitterness, which can take root when suffering is not resolved as we hope. Hebrews 12:15 warns:
*"Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and many be defiled by it."*

Bitterness does not change God’s mind—it only harms our own souls. Instead, we are called to *"rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, and persist in prayer"* **(Romans 12:12, WEB)**.

### **Practical Steps Forward**
1. **Surrender the "Why?" to God** – You may never know in this life why God allowed this suffering. But you can trust that He is good (Psalm 100:5).
2. **Focus on Today’s Grace** – Instead of longing for the past, ask God, *"What do You want to do in me and through me *today*?"*
3. **Encourage Your Son in the Lord** – Remind him (and yourself) that God is still writing his story. His academic struggles do not define his future.
4. **Seek Medical and Emotional Support** – God often works through doctors, counselors, and wise believers. Do not neglect practical help.
5. **Pray for Redemption, Not Just Restoration** – Ask God to redeem this season, using it to draw your family closer to Him and to each other.

### **A Prayer for You and Your Family**
Heavenly Father, we come before You in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, lifting up our brother and his family. Lord, You see their pain—the shattered dreams, the physical suffering, the emotional turmoil, and the deep longing for what once was. You are the God who heals, who restores, and who makes all things new.

We ask, Father, for Your mercy. If it is Your will, reverse the effects of this trial, restore health, renew minds, and bring peace to this family. But even if You do not, we trust You. Your ways are higher, Your love is deeper, and Your plans are perfect.

Strengthen this father and son in their faith. Remind them that You are near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18). Give them grace to endure, wisdom to navigate this season, and hope to look forward. Protect their hearts from bitterness and fill them with Your peace that surpasses understanding.

Lord, we rebuked any lie of the enemy that would say You have abandoned them. You are faithful, and You will complete the good work You began in them (Philippians 1:6). May they experience Your presence in new ways through this trial.

We pray for healing—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We pray for their son’s academic struggles, that You would grant him clarity, perseverance, and divine help. Restore their joy, Lord. Restore their hope.

Most of all, Father, may Your name be glorified in their story. May others see Your faithfulness through their lives. We ask all this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. **Amen.**

---
We leave you with this promise:
*"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted.
He saves those who have crushed spirits."*
**(Psalm 34:18, WEB)**

Keep seeking Him. Keep trusting Him. He has not forgotten you.

Thank you again for your prayer. I do have some other things to say in response. You wrote:

"We understand the depth of your pain and the earnestness of your heart as you wrestle with these profound questions about God’s sovereignty, time, and the suffering you and your family are enduring."

With the utmost respect, I don't believe anybody can truly understand what our family is dealing with, especially after being so close to God and serving Him joyfully. I know you can try to, but unless you stand in someone's shoes I don't believe it's possible to truly understand. God indeed understands, and that makes it even more difficult. It's next to impossible to see His love, kindness, mercy, tenderness, etc... in this. I was raised in a family with the most loving, kind parents and relatives I could have asked for so I do know what this is.

I wasn't doing all that bad even after the second hospitalization. My family visited me every day and we prayed every night before they went home. Those were very tender times. After being discharged I was able to take the family out to purchase a new car for my wife with reasonable normalcy, all things considered. We'd been looking for a house for a few years prior to this, and I'd been doing that as well, with faith and relative normalcy, while in the hospital. It was the emotional trigger that happened soon after getting home that really destroyed everything. Like everything else, it was so unnecessary and senseless. In fact, it's what harmed my relationship with God back in 2010. It's when this happened that the prayer to reverse time began. It seems that the initial melanoma diagnosis, ketoacidosis, and organ damage weren't enough. There is zero sense to this, and I see no good anywhere. I have a friend who is currently battling cancer and he has a great attitude, but he doesn't have all of the other evils we're dealing with. It was so much easier and better when we were only dealing with the melanoma. What else can we do? I pray all the time for God to simply answer my son's simple, loving prayers -- but they were in the past, so some kind of time reversal would be necessary. The other thing in this regard is that my son's university grades have been significantly damaged and he has become very discouraged, though he still trusts God. This is all because of what he's seen that happened to his beloved dad. He deserves to have a fair shot at school, just like I did, without all of this distress and anguish -- this is another good reason to reverse time. He is surrounded by happy, clear-minded schoolmates, but it takes him a ridiculous amount of time to study the simplest things only to forget them. He now calls school, which he used to enjoy, prison or a concentration camp. He doesn't deserve this. He's a brilliant, gifted child (he'll always be my little boy), with a loving heart. He's studying what I studied, and it's not an easy subject -- it is, in fact, considered to be one of the most difficult subjects. So many people mentioned to us in the past how blessed he was to have a dad that could help him with his schoolwork -- I used to teach the subject at the college level. Now, we're both dealing with similar things. I'm in a similar situation at work. This all started ONE WEEK after he got accepted -- something he worked very hard for, and prayed fervently for. Why would God bless him with this acceptance only to have this happen? I know of a person who graduated from the university he is currently attending in the same major who is a man, but claims to be a woman. This person graduated with a high GPA and has none of this going on. I have no ill will towards this person, but can't help but wonder why God would effectively punish us. Our family has always been against this sort of abomination. People I work with live together out of wedlock, and they're fine. As I mentioned, my wife and I waited until marriage for intimacy. We played by God's rules. I was saved at a young age, and never took God's name in vain. I couldn't conceive of something like that. God was everything to me. When I was baptized, I took a class and the workbook had a question asking if I believed the Holy Spirit was moving me to repent of something. After a little while, I felt that He was moving me to repent of using profanity. I was young and never used it much, but I had some. I repented of that then and have kept that commitment to this day. I believe in all of my life -- school, college, grad school, and work -- I've only encountered one man (other than my dad) who didn't use profanity. All of this is His workmanship, and it is all to His glory.

God is not the author of confusion. Jesus promised that the Father would give good things to those who ask of Him. I believe the things my son asked for are good, and are the wisest, most loving things he could have asked for. Honesty is paramount in my life and I know God desires truth in the inward parts. I have to be honest with Him, and when I pray I do mention that I feel like we've been given scorpions when my son asked for an egg. God gave me a love for righteous and good things when I received my new heart at salvation, so because of that I do know what is good and what isn't. This just isn't right or good. Unnecessary pain, suffering, loss, and waste, among many other negative things, are all that have been brought by this.

We're really struggling with this. My dad seriously honored his father and mother. Paul reminds us that keeping this commandment has a reward -- long life and things going well. Well, that didn't happen for my dad. He was cut down at 59 by leukemia. It was horrible -- certainly not a long life, and things did not go well. I also honored and loved my parents dearly, and took care of my mom for 28 years after my dad passed.

 

[hostadmin]

We want to thank you for allowing us the sacred privilege of lifting your heartfelt request before the Lord, and we continue to stand with you in prayer over this deeply painful season. Your love for your son, your devotion to your family, and your earnest desire to see God’s restoration in every area of your lives have moved us to pray with even greater urgency and faith on your behalf. We know the Father hears the cries of His children, and we trust He is at work, even when we cannot yet see the full picture.

Your honest wrestling with the nature of time, God’s sovereignty, and the pain of unanswered prayer resonates deeply with us. Like you, we’ve seen how Scripture reveals a God who is not bound by the constraints we experience—a God who relents, who heals, and who redeems in ways that defy human logic. We serve the God of Abraham, who interceded for Sodom, and the God of Moses, who turned aside from destruction when His people repented. He is the same God who took the cross—a moment frozen in time—and used it to rewrite eternity for all who believe. If He can reverse the curse of sin through Christ, we believe He can also move in the intimate details of your story, whether through healing, restoration, or a miracle that transcends our understanding of time itself.

We are especially burdened for your son, whose faith and love for you have been tested so severely. It breaks our hearts to hear how his academic struggles and the weight of this trial have impacted him, and we are praying earnestly for God to restore his joy, his confidence, and his peace. We ask the Lord to meet him in his discouragement, to remind him of His unfailing love, and to turn this season of hardship into a testimony of His faithfulness. Your son’s prayers for you were not in vain—they were heard by a Father who collects every tear and stores every whisper of His children. We declare that God will honor those prayers in a way that brings glory to His name and healing to your family.

We also lift up your physical struggles—the toll this has taken on your body, your emotions, and your work. We ask the Lord to renew your strength, to heal the damage done, and to restore the productivity and joy you once knew in your career. You’ve been a faithful steward of the gifts and time He’s given you, and we pray He would make a way for you to continue serving Him with excellence, free from the burdens that now weigh you down.

Brother, we want to encourage you: your feelings of grief, your questions, and even your anger are not hidden from God. He invites you to bring them to Him, just as you’ve done here. The psalmists cried out in raw honesty, and so did Jesus in the Garden. You are not wrong to long for the way things were, nor are you wrong to ask God for the impossible. He is big enough to handle your pain, and He is near to the brokenhearted.

If the Lord has moved in this situation—whether through a breakthrough, a shift in perspective, or a tangible answer to prayer—we would love to rejoice with you in a praise report. If the wait continues, we want you to know we are still here, still interceding, and still believing for God’s perfect will to unfold. Please don’t hesitate to share an update or repost your request so we can continue standing with you.

May the God who holds all time in His hands comfort you with His presence, sustain you with His peace, and surprise you with His goodness. We are trusting Him to turn your mourning into dancing, your despair into hope, and your family’s story into a testament to His power. You are not forgotten, and neither is your son. Keep seeking, keep praying, and keep holding on to the One who loves you more than you can imagine.

We pray this in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus.

 

[Anonymous]

We want to thank you for allowing us the sacred privilege of lifting your heartfelt request before the Lord, and we continue to stand with you in prayer over this deeply painful season. Your love for your son, your devotion to your family, and your earnest desire to see God’s restoration in every area of your lives have moved us to pray with even greater urgency and faith on your behalf. We know the Father hears the cries of His children, and we trust He is at work, even when we cannot yet see the full picture.

Your honest wrestling with the nature of time, God’s sovereignty, and the pain of unanswered prayer resonates deeply with us. Like you, we’ve seen how Scripture reveals a God who is not bound by the constraints we experience—a God who relents, who heals, and who redeems in ways that defy human logic. We serve the God of Abraham, who interceded for Sodom, and the God of Moses, who turned aside from destruction when His people repented. He is the same God who took the cross—a moment frozen in time—and used it to rewrite eternity for all who believe. If He can reverse the curse of sin through Christ, we believe He can also move in the intimate details of your story, whether through healing, restoration, or a miracle that transcends our understanding of time itself.

We are especially burdened for your son, whose faith and love for you have been tested so severely. It breaks our hearts to hear how his academic struggles and the weight of this trial have impacted him, and we are praying earnestly for God to restore his joy, his confidence, and his peace. We ask the Lord to meet him in his discouragement, to remind him of His unfailing love, and to turn this season of hardship into a testimony of His faithfulness. Your son’s prayers for you were not in vain—they were heard by a Father who collects every tear and stores every whisper of His children. We declare that God will honor those prayers in a way that brings glory to His name and healing to your family.

We also lift up your physical struggles—the toll this has taken on your body, your emotions, and your work. We ask the Lord to renew your strength, to heal the damage done, and to restore the productivity and joy you once knew in your career. You’ve been a faithful steward of the gifts and time He’s given you, and we pray He would make a way for you to continue serving Him with excellence, free from the burdens that now weigh you down.

Brother, we want to encourage you: your feelings of grief, your questions, and even your anger are not hidden from God. He invites you to bring them to Him, just as you’ve done here. The psalmists cried out in raw honesty, and so did Jesus in the Garden. You are not wrong to long for the way things were, nor are you wrong to ask God for the impossible. He is big enough to handle your pain, and He is near to the brokenhearted.

If the Lord has moved in this situation—whether through a breakthrough, a shift in perspective, or a tangible answer to prayer—we would love to rejoice with you in a praise report. If the wait continues, we want you to know we are still here, still interceding, and still believing for God’s perfect will to unfold. Please don’t hesitate to share an update or repost your request so we can continue standing with you.

May the God who holds all time in His hands comfort you with His presence, sustain you with His peace, and surprise you with His goodness. We are trusting Him to turn your mourning into dancing, your despair into hope, and your family’s story into a testament to His power. You are not forgotten, and neither is your son. Keep seeking, keep praying, and keep holding on to the One who loves you more than you can imagine.

We pray this in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus.

Thank you so much for your compassionate response. What's happening to my son breaks my heart far more than anything in my life ever has. Everything in my life changed when I became a father. From the first day I held him -- his literal birthday -- the love we've had for each other has grown profoundly. He began Christian school at the age of 3 with great enthusiasm. I spent every second I could with him. Even when I traveled to China on business we connected on Yahoo Messenger. He still treasures those times, as do I. He drove into the city every day to visit me when I was in the hospital -- two times. When I got home, he went out, even at late hours of the night, to get me things I needed. When I was teaching as an adjunct, he came to nearly every one of my classes. There's no question his prayers for me were rooted in pure love. Getting the opposite of the good things he asked has devastated me. The love my wife and I have for each other is also profound, and she is also suffering greatly. I waited so long for her, and it was absolutely worth it. I'd never have anybody else.

Thank you for praying with us.