The Power of Prayer – Part Four
Jesus taught that prayer is a powerful ally to those who use it. Even if they lack the necessary power to change the circumstances of their lives, ordinary people can still achieve “miraculous” effects as long as they have the necessary faith that a Higher Power can assist them in times of need.
Like many women who have found themselves unexpectedly divorced, Erica Martin suddenly had to provide for herself and her three small children. Having no prior working experience to draw upon to earn a living, she realized that her household skills alone were insufficient to make ends meet.
Although she had approached numerous employment offices, welfare agencies and guidance counsellors, none were able to help her find suitable work. Finally, there came a day when there was no more food in the house. As Erica sat at her kitchen table pondering over her desperate predicament, she prayed to God to help her feed her family.
No sooner had she formed the words in her mind when there was a knock at the door. She answered it and found a young man standing there. “Lady”, he said, “we are starting a milk route through this area. Would you like to take milk from our company?”
Erica declined his offer, explaining that she had no money to pay for the milk. But the young man refused to be put off. He insisted on leaving her with a full range of the compny’s products, including milk, eggs, bread, ice cream and cottage cheese. This unexpected bonanza allowed Erica to feed her children for the next few days.
Shortly after this incident Erica was successful in getting a part-time night shift position at a nearby factory, which allowed her to spend the day caring for her young family. And when the first invoice arrived for the food that had been loaned to her under such providential circumstances, she had the money to pay for it.
Jorge Lopes was living in Ecuador in the tiny village of Banos. One day in 1976, he happened to be walking down a narrow jungle pathway that ran along the edge of a steep cliff. After making his way carefully down this path for a short distance he decided to return.
As he was making his way back along the same narrow track, Jorge was astonished to find his path blocked by an enormous spider web. What amazed him was that only a few minutes had elapsed since he began walking down the path. It seemed incredible that such a large web could have been spun in so short a time.
The web extended from the branches of a bush which flanked the path across to the face of the cliff itself. The web stretched from his chest down to his feet. In the center of the web was a brilliant, silver, metallic-looking spider.
Jorge was in a quandary. His only way home was to continue on the path that was now blocked by the web, and it was impossible to get around the bush without falling off the cliff. Jorge looked at the extraordinary shining spider and wondered how he could pass by without having to destroy the creature’s magnificent web.
He closed his eyes and prayed that he might somehow be able to pass without damaging the gossamer threads of the web. When he opened his eyes a few moments later, he was confronted by an amazing sight. In the middle of the web was on open archway throught which he could easily pass. The brilliant metallic spider was nowhere to be seen.
On Christmas Eve in 1984, Winnifred Williams passed away in Anchorage, Alaska. For her daughter Shirley, her mother’s death was a bitter blow, as they had shared a particularly close relationship together. She was especially distressed because her mother had lived so far away, and she was unable to be with her when she died.
That evening, in the dining room of her home in Alberta, Canada, Shirley sat long into the night, thinking of her mother and staring out of the windows into the darkness. Finally just before dawn she retired to bed, but before falling asleep, she prayed that her mother would come to her to say goodbye.
The following day, as Shirley was sitting down for breakfast, she noticed that the dining room windows were covered with winter frost. But instead of being covered with their usual frosty flakes, she saw an amazing sight.
On this Christmas morning, the window panes were covered with the clear outline of her mother’s favorite flowers. There were petunias, roses, tulips and lilies of the valley. And framing the borders of the glass was a fringe of morning glory.
