Harris Faulkner - Faith Still Moves Mountains: Miraculous Stories of the Healing Power of Prayer

To my husband, Tony, and our two daughters, Bella Grace

and Danika Jo, thank you for teaching me every day that

lifes adventures require my unconditional love for the

Lord and bravery to live out His purpose for me.

Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as

a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain,

Move from here to there, and it will move.

Nothing will be impossible for you.

MATTHEW 17:20

Y ou are divinely loved. If you havent heard that today, read that out loud. You are so loved that God created, sacrificed, and resurrected His only son for you. It is also true that life is hard. And often its easy to forget the power of prayer, relationship with God, and faith. This loss of faith is all around us. And its contagious.

Journalists see people at both their best and their worst. Murders, rescues, robberies, reunions: were there to cover all of them. In my quarter century on the job, Ive seen some people blessed with miracles and others devastated by what can only be described as the work of the Devil. Some people pray for dreams that then come true. And there are random tragedies that turn others inside out with pain and hopelessness. Ive witnessed people coming back from the brink over and over.

Through all of it, the one constant is Gods presence.

God is with us when we are at the lowest of our lows and the highest of our highs. Hes there at every point in between. Sometimes He makes Himself known to us in the most obvious of ways; sometimes in a quiet whisper. But always Hes there, one prayer away.

This is a book about the power of prayer. Its about how God comes alongside us in our daily lives. He can bring us through any valley, be it a struggle with illness, depression, or deathor just a bad day. This book is full of stories reminding us that God sees and cares when were struggling; miracles that provide the most visible evidence of Gods greatness and grace; proof that prayer isnt just wordsits action.

We need reminders of that now more than ever.

One of the primary reasons why we are people of faith is that it helps to restore a sense of order in the chaotic world in which we live. A number of stories in this book deal with people who have found themselves subject to circumstances that overwhelmed their sense of order.

In many cases, they were, through no fault of their own, dealing with the random nature of tragedy. Theres the story of the Alabama grandmother who survived a severe F4 tornado that ravaged her town. The one room in her house which survived, was her prayer closet. Even still she praised God, preaching His goodness to her family and community. Ive covered a number of stories over the years when the randomness of destructive forces has devastated one family and left another untouched. And, in a number of instances what explained why one house survived and another didnt, was the role of faith and prayer. It is a hard fact that people may not succeed in every circumstance because God has a plan. But, the positive impact of faith and prayer on outcomes is frequent enough that I believe that it is the common denominator of miracles.

Increasingly, Americans dont believe that. In 1944, the Gallup public opinion organization began asking Americans if they believed in God. The number was astoundingly high, nearly 100 percent. And each time it took that poll in the 1950s and the 1960s, the percentage of Americans who said they believed in the Lord remained in the same range.

Then something changed. We became less likely to say we believed in God and even less likely to have faith that God intervenes in our lives. Most recently, in May 2022, Gallup announced that currently only 81 percent of Americans believe in God. Digging deeper, only four in ten people surveyed told Gallup they think God does anything on our behalf. No miracles, no answered prayers.

Thats not true. But that kind of despairing thinking can replicate faster than a virus. In a world in which our reminders of God are few, its even easier to have to grapple with doubt. Its unclear where were headed as a more secularly focused society pushes our future generations to ignore the power of prayer. Now is a perfect time to push back on the notion that God doesnt intervene in our lives; to remember that prayer is as powerful as ever; that faith does indeed still move mountains.

That doesnt mean God always acts in the way we hope or in our timing. As James 1:19 states, My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. That last point is particularly important. Many of us find silence uncomfortable. When we think that God is silent, when we believe that He has forgotten us, when we think that He hasnt heard us, it is easy to get angry. We may not take it out on God, we may not be angry with Him, but we may be angry with ourselves and our perception that His silence is a result of our being unworthy. The question that is on the lips of many people throughout history in troubled times is Where are you, God?

The stories in this book are a reminder that He is with us at all times. And many of them also offer encouragement for those of us struggling with the silence of God. We may not know the hour or the means by which He will answer our prayer. Sometimes the answer will be silence. And in that pause, we are many times able to answer our own questions, resolve our own problems. Throughout this book well examine stories of miracles, and discover that God speaks in many other ways, too.

As a parent, I know that it is hard to see my children struggle with anything. But seeing them find solutions to their own problems is extremely rewarding. As our Heavenly Father, God has to measure out His degree of involvement. We are beings possessed with free will, and what choices we make are our own responsibility. In these stories, we see God at work, giving us the freedom we need and intervening at the most critical times to save us from ourselves. We receive the opportunity to learn and go on learning. Prayer isnt just about receiving a blessing from God, having Him answer a request. Instead, it is a back-and-forth exchange of questions and answers.

We also learn, no matter how afraid we are, how abandoned we feel, how much we think our Father has turned away, that He will never leave us alone. From an American pastor Andrew Brunson falsely imprisoned in Turkey to little Nancy Owen abandoned on the streets of her hometown to Tina Zahn, a mom locked in depression, I have found story after story of people who realized that God was with them, even when they didnt know it at the time.

We usually think of prayer as something which makes us strong. But the surprising thing about prayer is how it reminds us we are vulnerable, mortal, and needy. And that is a gift, because in our weakness we can see Gods great strength. Throughout this book well see time and again, examples of God working through us when were at our most helpless. After all, the son of God Himself became helpless to accomplish salvation.

Often when delivering commencement addresses and inspirational speeches to young audiences, I remind them that we are all like IKEA furnitureassembly required. Ive had to mature in my faith and in how I conduct myself in my relationship with God. The Harris of 2022 is not the same Harris of 1992 or 1982. The same is true of my relationship with the Holy Spirit, with Jesus, and with God the Father. God has seen me at my worst, Hes seen me at my best; thats part of the deal of being His creation.

But God did make me for a purpose. I believe that Gods assignment for my life is to be a witness. That is my calling, and in sharing these stories and by witnessing so much, I am compelled to help others see that even in the midst of so much that seems chaotic and random, there is order. We may not see it in the moment, but it is there. I believe that we all need reminders of this, especially because of what we all continue to endure. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the rise in mass killings, war, economic downturns, and other events challenge us daily. In the face of all this, too often, hope fades. My wish is that as you read these stories of Gods direct intervention in peoples lives, hope will bloom again in your heart.