Some people feel that God is so personal that he's there to answer any bedtime prayer and that if he doesn't it's because you didn't pray hard enough or there's sin in your heart so just keep praying. Okay, I know there's that side of it and I believe it to an extent but I've been wondering recently whether the situation of Job is such a unique excpeption or whether God can often seem to be standing off afar for whatever his purposes.
I know he sees every sparrow fall, but like Mark Twain said, the sparrow still falls anyway.
Since God is God, does he really have to change the weather when we pray? He often doesn't. And here's the deal: a lot of people have the "abundant life" doctrine and offer as "proof" that it works the abundant lifestyles of American Christians. But what about the Christians in third world countries who are would be considered to have "demons of poverty" by American Christians?
One evangelist I heard of used to believe in the "abundant life" doctrine but going to third world countries cured him. He came back and said that any doctrine that didn't work as well in the real world of poor countries, but ONLY worked in rich, affluent America, weren't universal principles, only a reflection of the curious collection of wealth in America.
Untold thousands of sincere Christians have been persecuted and raped and slaughtered and have starved to death in a deliberate genocide by Muslims in the Sudan. Do North American Christians say there must be sin in their life or God would have protected them and provided for them? Do Sudanese Christias have demons of poverty? Could it be they are suffering because North American Christians don't give a damn about their suffering to raise a finger to do anything about it, or lobby their government, but are too focused on their own "blessings"?