The Power of Prayer – Part Two
For those who believe in the existence of God or a Higher Power, in what ever form they may conceive this power to be, and who have complete faith in its ability to answer their prayers, truly miraculous feats can be achieved.
And as we have seen in the previous instalment, these feats are not limited by the so-called “laws of science” or the “laws of nature”. Those who pray to a Higher Power to answer a personal need will find that the solution to their personal need will manifest in a way that is uniquely appropriate to that situation.
Although the response to prayer may take the form of something that conforms to the established thinking of our everyday world, in most cases it does not. And because it does not, it comes to be regarded as a “miraculous” event, as can be seen from the following examples.
Lidia Obermaier was a keen gardener, living in the American state of New Jersey. One summer day in July 1977, Lidia was startled to find that her rose hedge, tea roses and shrubs had all lost their leaves. When she examined the plants closely, she found that each of the plants was infested with thousands of Japanese beetles.
In dismay, Lidia walked over to her rock garden where she kept a statue of the Virgin Mary and silently prayed: “Please, Mother Mary, do something to save my plants”. No sooner had she uttered this silent prayer than a large flock of birds with bright golden feathers appeared out of the blue sky.
These birds then formed a column in the air and descended upon the plants. The shrubs shook violently as the birds feasted on the beetles. After about fifteen minutes the bushes stopped shaking. When Lidia walked over to inspect her plants, there was not a single beetle to be seen.
But what astounded Lidia the most, was that although she had remained no more than twenty feet away throughout the whole episode, not a single bird was seen to fly away. It was as if the entire flock of golden birds had miraculously vanished into the blue sky.
When Carolyn Firth went to Chicago to visit a friend, she was concerned about Police reports about a girl who had been savagely beaten and sexually assaulted in the area in which her friend lived.
As she was leaving her friend’s apartment later that evening, Carolyn walked out onto a darkened street that appeared to be deserted. As she continued down the street, however, she became aware of a figure in a nearby doorway. This figure quickly vanished into the shadows.
As she crossed over to the other side of the street, Carolyn heard slow, measured steps on the pavement behind her. She immediately quickened her pace, only to hear the footsteps behind her become quicker too. She was suddenly assailed by a feeling of fear and panic.
“O dear God”, Carolyn prayed silently to herself, “please help me, I’m so afraid”. No sooner had she uttered this silent prayer than she became aware of a presence beside her. Through her tear-blurred vision she was astonished to see a full-grown, white collie walking quietly beside her.
The collie stayed just out of reach, but continued to escort her until she reached the railway station, where there were lights and other people. As soon as she reached the safety of the station, she looked back over her shoulder down the street where she had come.
As she did so, Carolyn was able to catch a glimpse of a figure slinking into the darkness. When she turned back to look for her unexpected guardian, the white collie was nowhere to be seen. It had simply vanished into the night.
