--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem with God - or at any rate…" description: "\"The problem with God - or at any rate, one of the top five most annoying things about God - is that he or she rarely answers right away.\" — Anne Lamott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anne-lamott-188_annoying_the-problem-with-god-or-at-any-rate-one_1592034.png" --- # The problem with God - or at any rate, one of the top five… ![“The problem with God - or at any rate, one of the top five most annoying things about God - is that he or she rarely answers right away.” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anne-lamott-188_annoying_the-problem-with-god-or-at-any-rate-one_1592034.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anne-lamott-188_annoying_the-problem-with-god-or-at-any-rate-one_1592034.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anne-lamott-188_annoying_the-problem-with-god-or-at-any-rate-one_1592034.png) > “The problem with God - or at any rate, one of the top five most annoying things about God - is that he or she rarely answers right away.” [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Divine silence can be frustrating when seeking guidance, highlighting human impatience with spiritual answers. **In simple terms:** God often doesn't respond quickly. Key Takeaway Practice patience with faith. Themes faith patience spirituality Mood reflective contemplative Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - prayer - decision making - seeking guidance Key Concepts theology human expectation Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope when you feel unheard? - What does waiting teach you? A Different Perspective Answers may come later or in unexpected forms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Annoying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/annoying/) [Annoying things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/annoying-things/) [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [God Rarely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-rarely-567625/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-god-540099/) [Rarely Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rarely-answers-575403/) [Rate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rate/) [Things God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-god/) ## Related quotes > [God rarely answers the way One expects, but when he Does, its better than you EXPECTED!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/god-rarely-answers-the-way-one-expects-but-when-he-does-its-better/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [A cis-immunologist will sometimes speak to a trans-immunologist; but the latter rarely answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-kaj-jerne/a-cis-immunologist-will-sometimes-speak-to-a-trans-immunologist-but/) [Niels Kaj Jerne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-kaj-jerne/) > [The annoying thing about being modest is that you can't brag about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-brown/the-annoying-thing-about-being-modest-is-that-you-can-t-brag-about-it/) [Gene Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-brown/) > [The only way to be turned off to being famous is to be famous. And I only have like a tiny, tiny bit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/the-only-way-to-be-turned-off-to-being-famous-is-to-be-famous-and-i/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [Eventually cancer becomes just another annoying thing that you deal with, you know, like cellulite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-carr/eventually-cancer-becomes-just-another-annoying-thing-that-you-deal/) [Kris Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-carr/) > [Belief is a good thing in principle, but an annoying thing in human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/belief-is-a-good-thing-in-principle-but-an-annoying-thing-in-human/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [Biting your tongue is def in the top 5 most annoying things ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/biting-your-tongue-is-def-in-the-top-5-most-annoying-things-ever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Brown nosers high up there on my top ten most annoying things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/brown-nosers-high-up-there-on-my-top-ten-most-annoying-things/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Here in the UK the audience immediately reacts and they get the fact that: "What would be the most annoying thing in the world?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/here-in-the-uk-the-audience-immediately-reacts-and-they-get-the-fact/) [Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/) > [“I have spoken to God so rarely that I do not think he would know who I was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-spoken-to-god-so-rarely-that-i-do-not-think-he-would-know-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God rarely allows a person to see how great a blessing he is to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/god-rarely-allows-a-person-to-see-how-great-a-blessing-he-is-to-others/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [God only rarely reveals the future. When he does so, it is for one reason: it's a future that was written so as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/god-only-rarely-reveals-the-future-when-he-does-so-it-is-for-one/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [In my experience, God rarely makes our fear disappear. Instead, he asks us to be strong and take courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-wilkinson/in-my-experience-god-rarely-makes-our-fear-disappear-instead-he-asks/) [Bruce Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-wilkinson/) > [My parents professed to believe in God, but I rarely heard his name mentioned unattached to 'damn' or 'sakes' or 'willing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-konecky/my-parents-professed-to-believe-in-god-but-i-rarely-heard-his-name/) [Edith Konecky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-konecky/) > [The person who looks up to God rarely looks down on people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-person-who-looks-up-to-god-rarely-looks-down-on-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anne Lamott > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's funny where we look for salvation, and where we actually find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/it-s-funny-where-we-look-for-salvation-and-where-we-actually-find-it/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. But writing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/publication-is-not-all-that-it-is-cracked-up-to-be-but-writing-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-problem-is-how-you-are-going-to-spend-this-one-odd-and-precious/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Raising a child, whether or not it is yours, is like Nautilus of the heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/raising-a-child-whether-or-not-it-is-yours-is-like-nautilus-of-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I heard a preacher say recently that hope is a revolutionary patience; let me add that so is being a writer. Hope begins in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-heard-a-preacher-say-recently-that-hope-is-a-revolutionary-patience/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-think-perfectionism-is-based-on-the-obsessive-belief-that-if-you/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [All criticism hurts me. I'm so in the wrong business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/all-criticism-hurts-me-i-m-so-in-the-wrong-business/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You will go through your life thinking there was a day in second grade that you must have missed, when the grown-ups came in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-will-go-through-your-life-thinking-there-was-a-day-in-second/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You begin to string words together like beads to tell a story. You are desperate to communicate, to edify or entertain, to preserve moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-begin-to-string-words-together-like-beads-to-tell-a-story-you-are/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You lose the known package of your nice organized self almost instantly here. Overeating is one way back, the way it is at funerals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-lose-the-known-package-of-your-nice-organized-self-almost/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Explore all 976 Anne Lamott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More Annoying quotes > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [The trouble is. . .that everybody sneers at restrictions and demands freedom, till something annoying happens; then they demand angrily what has become of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-trouble-is-that-everybody-sneers-at-restrictions-and-demands/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [At Epcot Center the Disney corporation has focused its attention on two things greatly in need of Disneyfication: the tedious future and the annoying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/at-epcot-center-the-disney-corporation-has-focused-its-attention-on/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The book it reminded me of most is Henry Miller’s The Books in My Life. Like Miller, Shields manages to convey his affection for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-alexis/the-book-it-reminded-me-of-most-is-henry-miller-s-the-books-in-my/) [Andre Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-alexis/) > [When you're standing around for an hour doing stand up it's no big deal but when you're standing around watching a show for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-rogan/when-you-re-standing-around-for-an-hour-doing-stand-up-it-s-no-big/) [Joe Rogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-rogan/) > [Belief is a good thing in principle, but an annoying thing in human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/belief-is-a-good-thing-in-principle-but-an-annoying-thing-in-human/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [Shut the fuck up ur so annoying and you think your the shit lmao sit the fuck down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/shut-the-fuck-up-ur-so-annoying-and-you-think-your-the-shit-lmao-sit/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only kind of freedom that the mob can imagine is freedom to annoy and oppress its betters, and that is precisely the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-kind-of-freedom-that-the-mob-can-imagine-is-freedom-to-annoy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Die, enemies of Ra!" Sekhemet yelled. "Perish in agony!" "She's almost as annoying as you," I told Horus. "Impossible," Horus said. "No one bests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/die-enemies-of-ra-sekhemet-yelled-perish-in-agony-she-s-almost-as/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [My middle finger is used when words aren't enough for people to understand that they're annoying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-middle-finger-is-used-when-words-aren-t-enough-for-people-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...Be grateful for what you have to be thankful for instead of complaining about the little things that annoy you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/be-grateful-for-what-you-have-to-be-thankful-for-instead-of/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Would you want people walking up to you and pointing at your d--k? I can't believe I'm still talking about this. But I've worn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hamm/would-you-want-people-walking-up-to-you-and-pointing-at-your-d-k-i/) [Jon Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hamm/) > [I ceased in the year 1764 to believe that one can convince one’s opponents with arguments printed in books. It is not to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/i-ceased-in-the-year-1764-to-believe-that-one-can-convince-one-s/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [WikiLeaks is irritating and annoying for Germany, but not a threat. From an international perspective, I see their actions as totally irresponsible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-de-maiziere/wikileaks-is-irritating-and-annoying-for-germany-but-not-a-threat/) [Thomas de Maiziere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-de-maiziere/) > [It doesn't annoy me but I think of myself as a presenter who is gay, rather than a gay presenter. It's a subtle distinction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-davis/it-doesn-t-annoy-me-but-i-think-of-myself-as-a-presenter-who-is-gay/) [Evan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-davis/) [Browse all 1,217 Annoying quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/annoying/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The problem with God - or at any rate, one of the top five most annoying things about God - is that he or she rarely answers right away.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Lamott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-problem-with-god-or-at-any-rate-one-of-the-top-five-most-annoying/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Annoying" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-problem-with-god-or-at-any-rate-one-of-the-top-five-most-annoying/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anne-lamott-188_annoying_the-problem-with-god-or-at-any-rate-one_1592034.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anne-lamott-188_annoying_the-problem-with-god-or-at-any-rate-one_1592034.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anne-lamott-188_annoying_the-problem-with-god-or-at-any-rate-one_1592034.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The problem with God - or at any rate, one of the top five most annoying things about God - is that he or…” — Anne Lamott", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anne Lamott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The problem with God - or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-problem-with-god-or-at-any-rate-one-of-the-top-five-most-annoying/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-problem-with-god-or-at-any-rate-one-of-the-top-five-most-annoying/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```