And God said....

In a previous post, I mentioned a prayer I had offered up, and God answered, "okay you want a job? okay be prepared to work your ass off..."
And so I have, but it got me to thinking about prayer itself...was that God Himself answering a prayer? or was it just myself...the part of one's soul that seeks to carry on in spite of one's sense of self-doubt and all that represents...and what part is that who answers? The part of the soul where God resides? Is God an old man with a beard sitting on a throne somewhere up in Heaven, or is it the concept of God as a certain spirit that resides in us all, so that, in our darkest hours we pray, no matter how we perceive Him, we pray for the best?...whether it's for good fortune, for the benefit of others, for selfish reasons or altruism...or as Abraham Lincoln said, the "Angels of our better selves"?

I don't know if praying works or not, but somehow I think it does...
Anyway, this is my favorite story about God...it goes like this;

There once was a man who lived by a river. It was a wonderful house with a great view, and the man was prosperous in life. But the river had its dangers, it flooded over the years, but the man didn't concern himself with that, he had a good life. And he thanked God regularly for all the good things he had.
One year it rained hard, and the river began to rise. It became clear that the river was going to flood. His neighbors began to leave for higher ground, and they would come by his house,
"You should leave soon! The river is going to flood!"
"No!" he said, "I have have trust in God, and He will save me..."
Soon, the river got higher, one last neighbor with a team of horses came by,
"You really need to leave, I got these horses and we can carry your valuables to higher ground! Come with us now!"
And again, the man refused, "No, I have prayed and God will save me..."
The river got higher still, then the water engulfed the man's house and he had to climb onto the roof, but still, he had faith that God would save him.
Finally a man in a rowboat came swiftly by, "Please! jump in the boat! it's your last chance before the river floods everything!"
But the man still said no.
And so, the river overwhelmed the man's house, and he drowned.
When he got to heaven, he was angry with God.
"Why didn't you listen to my prayers? I had always been a good man, why didn't you answer me?"
And God said,
"I sent you the neighbors, I sent you the horses, I sent you the boat...why didn't you believe in ME?"