I think that is very much the case. I think God tries to speak but our ears are dull of hearing. I'm trying to figure out the best way to hear. I was looking for books on Amazon but there are so many it's hard to choose one.
This is painful but I had been praying for someone's son who was involved in drugs. He blipped across my brain and I made a mental note to pray for him later. He died within a day. I knew that I had failed God and failed our friends. It still bothers me and I feel a lot of guilt over it. I knew God had wanted me to pray but I was busy and didn't listen. And Satan claimed another victim. So this is more of an important topic for us as believers than we may realize. I'm sure there have been times in all of our lives when God spoke but we didn't listen.
We don't necessarily know...…
Once on Mount Athos there was a monk who lived in Karyes. He drank and got drunk every day and was the cause of scandal to the pilgrims. Eventually he died and this relieved some of the faithful who went on to tell Elder Paisios that they were delighted that this huge problem was finally solved.
Father Paisios answered them that he knew about the death of the monk, after seeing the entire battalion of angels who came to collect his soul. The pilgrims were amazed and some protested and tried to explain to the Elder of whom they were talking about, thinking that the Elder did not understand.
Elder Paisios explained to them: "This particular monk was born in Asia Minor, shortly before the destruction by the Turks when they gathered all the boys. So as not to take him from their parents, they would take him with them to the reaping, and so he wouldn't cry, they just put raki into his milk in order for him to sleep. Therefore he grew up as an alcoholic. There he found an elder and said to him that he was an alcoholic. The elder told him to do prostrations and prayers every night and beg the Panagia to help him to reduce by one the glasses he drank.
After a year he managed with struggle and repentance to make the 20 glasses he drank into 19 glasses. The struggle continued over the years and he reached 2-3 glasses, with which he would still get drunk."
The world for years saw an alcoholic monk who scandalized the pilgrims, but God saw a fighter who fought a long struggle to reduce his passion.
Without knowing what each one is trying to do what he wants to do, what right do we have to judge his effort?
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos
