Maybe God's not a fan of the 700 Club. Just kidding. You never "made a deal" with God. You offered a proposal. Perhaps He saw "more" money, instead of a specific amount, as an indication that you were acting on emotion and not firm resolve, although I doubt that affected the outcome. Had God accepted your terms, the miners would have been saved. With all due respect, people with much more at stake have offered greater sacrifices for longer periods of time, and received the same "answer" you did. In answer to part of the original question, your trying to make this deal never doomed anyone. If God operated with that mind-set, he would be sadistic and cruel, not the real God we know. Why wouldn't He accept your deal? Any number of reasons. I can't speak for God, but I do believe He has plans we oftentimes cannot comprehend, much like a six year old lacks the ability to understand calculus. Your proposal sounds positive, and it is -- but, we can see only the happy, short-term consequences. For all we know, this tragedy somehow prevented a much bigger one from taking place a hundred years from now. One day, we will understand why certain things happened when and how they did, but while we're in this life, patience and faith in God's wisdom and love is likely more important than trying to acquire knowledge of things intellectually, spiritually, or emotionally beyond us. If God changed His plans to cut deals with people, that would amount to His selling out to humanity's ideas and not sticking with His own. I've seen enough of what happens when people take charge to be thankful that God's in control. When you think about it, it's hard to believe God is so wishy-washy or impulsive that He would base His actions on your promise to up your donations to the 700 Club. (I'm sure your heart was in the right place when you asked; that's just a general comment.) What kind of message does that convey? That God will ransom life, as long as the money goes to a church or ministry? There's already enough misinformation about Him as it is. Just let people get the idea that prayer influences God most when the person praying maxes out his or her credit cards via the "Give Now" donation box on the website Praise_the_Lord.com. One last thought (just a personal opinion, and non-judgmental): it almost looks like you showed a lack of faith by asking for "at least six of the miners" to be rescued. Why not all twelve? It's an honorable request. God would never think you'd asked for too much. If you pray in a weak, half-hearted fashion, or let fear infect your communication, He may not even hear the prayer. (Remember, this is a human's imperfect take on the subject, not necessarily the way God sees it.) Full and complete faith in God seems to be a big deal with Him. Maybe it's an even bigger deal than we imagine. Respect for God doesn't mean we should approach Him the way a Caspar Milquetoast would, trembling and afraid to speak up. Remembering first that God, by the Bible's definition, is love, and perfect love casts out fear, you have a better chance of success when you pray with confidence, in complete faith that He will respond in the best way - best, according to His perfect judgment, that is. Pray sincerely and respectfully for what you want in line with His plan for your life, and forget trying to appease Him with deals, or with promises of what you will do in the future, or won't do any longer. In this case, what amount of money would have saved even one life? God is less interested in the size of your donation, and more in what moves you to give. He does not need your money or mine, because it's all His, anyway. God sees the sacrifice involved. He knows your heart better than you do. He's undoubtedly more pleased with an impoverished person who celebrates Christmas by whispering a prayerful, "Thank You" and dropping fifty cents in the Salvation Army kettle, than He'll ever be with a no-faith billionaire who donates twenty million to charity five times a year.

While, I cannot answer for God because only God can directly answer your question, the only advice that I have is to pray to God and seek His wisdom. Clearly, God does not make deals with people per sei; although, Jacob did wrestle with God and God blessed Him because Jacob was stubborn and refused to let go of one of God's angels. However, God answers prayers based upon His will. A possibility is that it was not God's will for these miners to live, or quite simply, it was because God was allowing life to continue. The main thing is to remember that things sometimes happen that we don't want to happen and it NEVER means that God is ignoring or forsaking us because He NEVER forsakes His children. Rather, God doesn't sometimes answer our prayers according to how we would expect Him to answer them simply because His reasons and ways are above our own reasons and ways and we cannot begin to fathom God's reasons nor ways. Bottom line: Only God knows the answer for sure to your question;although, God doesn't make deals. He's our Heavenly Father and sometimes what we're asking for isn't His will to answer. My suggestion is to simply pray to God, in our Saviour Jesus' name and ask God directly because clearly He's the best one and only one, who can answer you with 100% certainty.

You tried to make a deal to save "half" the miners. Plus you'd only donate "more” IF God accepted your deal. The charity loses and you lose. God and the miners don't lose. Imagine the shoe on the other foot. God saves only half the souls and only donates more eternal love by reaching a deal with you. It sounds like a business transaction and a useless contract. God's business doesn't profit because God is not needy - we are and we reach Him by believing in Him. Your deal smacks of materialism and lack of faith but it helps you and me to understand that maybe we need less materialism and more faith. In my opinion it’s wrong to put our own humanness on the One who loves all equally and unconditionally. Humans make deals, God does not. He offers and gifts us His way. His only request is that we believe and trust that His way is good and perfect. That means admittance and acceptance that we are at this point imperfect yet striving to do His will in the process. Those miners taught us something. They show us our own level of faith and trust. Sadly they died and their presence is missed but if we take the lesson from it we see that nothing is ever lost forever. The miners are "still teaching" us that all control is an illusion and that the sooner we lose the illusions we have then the more progress we'll make in going towards God. Lack of stubbornness and humility enough to admit our error thought is a beginning. So now I should go and take my own advice! :-) Edit Glenn - Abraham was sincere and without ego. He requested not for himself/his own satisfaction. Abraham was righteous and obedient to God and his faith in God pleased God. God revealed Himself through His Word to Abraham. There was no deal made. This was about God's call on Abraham and Abraham's response. Abraham was pleading with God but not for himself and not for personal/egotistical gain. The questioner here in AB put a monetary value on lives or half of them but he/she was interested more in self than in the miners.

About making deals with God. Remember that when you pray to God, He is not interested in a grocery list, or what you in particular would like today. Recognize Him as your Father in Heaven, and ASK THAT HIS WILL BE DONE HERE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. Tell him what you feel, but don't make requests per say. I didn't understand why the two towers fell, but I accepted it as His Holy plan. We are not to understand why, we are to obey, and give Him praise and glory. God understands what is in your heart and knows what it is you are about to pray for and what you will pray for tommorrow already! Pray for your loved ones, then ask Him to grant you the power to align your will with His,(whatever that be) then pray for the homeless, peace on earth, prosperity for all those you love, - BUT ONLY if it be His will. If it is not His will to make you wealthy with money, don't fight it-embrace it! Ask him to reveal to you in HIS time, what gifts He has in store for you, and how to use them for HIS glory. In summary, with the 700 Club, I prefer to give my money to a local church, and entities that I can see every day or week or month, the progress my money is allowing. And above remember: God isn't interested in deals, and He is capable of saving the WHOLE world(as he already has if you come to know Him as your personal savior) so a few people is very simple-if it is His will.

Forget all these people trying to explain that you "can't make deals with god"... the straight, true and simple answer is... THERE IS NO GOD.

Yeah he tends to do that. In this situation he must have heard your prayers and thought "You know what? I'm going to have some fun with this. I'll save one and let 5 die! What a laugh! That'll teach those pesky humans to make deals with me!" seriously though, I'm sure god had nothing to do with the miners and was busy answering everyone elses prayers. god is a very busy spirit you know.

Cause God does not exist. Prayers are worthless. Get over it.

I dont think God wants to be payed ! I think it is kindof insulting that you think God can be bribed. But that is just my oppinion !

God doesn't do deals !

In my opinion , God doesnt want money to be donated or people to 'make deals' with him. He wants us to be good christians. He wants us to help one another and live in harmony [something which unfortunately doesnt happen often in this world]. If God wanted to save those miners, he would have. Perhaps he knows there is something YOU in particular want more and he will grant you it because you have worked for it and earned it. What i believe is that he doesnt want us to do extra things such as give extra money. He just wants us to be good Christians and help each other. If anything i'd say he wants us to make an effort at things we would normally say ';ill do it tomorrow'.

Maybe it was because those miners hadn't donated enough.

he doesn't want your charity i8f its through a deal. maybe if you hadn't have tried to "make a deal" and just given the moeny who knows eh?

he totally ripped you off

I thought only satan made deals with people in exchange for their souls?

So it's your fault those miners died then. Note- Jesus was against organized religion, especially big business type churches. And here you go promising money to the 700 Club, big, business and corrupted. Next time try donating to your local church or charity that really helps people with say food, medicine and clothing and not just sends bibles to a disaster ravaged area.

forget about donating to the 700 club , maybe consider giving it to the families of the miners . then at least you know where it is going . please be carefull with your money , the 7oo club does not need it .

I do not know what the 700 club is. Perhaps you should donate more anyway? God looks into our hearts when we ask. Also we need to ask in the name of Jesus. I am thankful that you did ask people to be saved, you are very kind and thoughtful. Perhaps next time just ask to save people and also just donate more? I know Gideon tested God in the Old Testament, but I think that things may be different since Jesus came to earth. I shall be honest and say that on two occasions when I did not know what to do, I prayed to God and then tried something slightly not the way I would not normally think, trying to push my luck. Whatever the result I would accept it, and know it was God's will. He has always remained faithful. I have never sought to box God into a corner though. Just thought ...perhaps God does not want you to donate more? At least 6 people were not saved, and so you are no longer needing to donate more to the 700 Club? Perhaps He did accept your deal, but in the opposite way to what you thought?

You cannot "make a deal" with GOD. We are all appointed "a time to live and a time to die." Your donation would be better served to be used in your own community, too.

For one,God doesnt make deals. He tells you in his word,what to do and not do. If he made deals,he would have took Satan up of a few when he was tempted in the wilderness. I know your probably going to say,we're talking about God not Jesus. Jesus and God are one in the same. God's a title,Jesus was his name.

God doesn't make deals. You're thinking of the other guy.

You forgot to face Mecca when praying

He wouldn't trust you to keep your end of the deal. You can enquire about that later, when your time comes.