Faith and Miracles

10.29.2006 by Elizabeth Sterling

In my Sunday school class this week we were talking about how to turn things over completely to God. This class has been so good for me because it is dredging up all the things I really need to face or remember. The last several years I have been doing a dance with God. Here you can have this, but I would like to keep that. Somethings are easier to give over to God than others. In the past of course I tried to control every little thing. That was, until the big thing finally came along that I could not possibly control. What choice did I have but to turn to God? Once you find yourself at that completely desperate, completely hopeless state and you finally look up and grab the mighty arm of God that has been reaching out to you your entire life amazing things start to happen. Over the last few years I have tried my best to document these miracles in Butterfly Blessings. They are generally the kinds of things that people first reaction might be “oh wow, what a coincidence!” But when it’s happening to you, you know it is much more than a coincidence. Someone in my class said it the same as me… “there are no odds, its God.”

This spring we were facing a bit of a crisis with the Blue Butterfly Fund. For the first time, we did not have the money we needed to fulfill the requests for financial assistance from families. My first reaction was to worry, but I remembered something God taught me early on with the BBF. And I just tried my best to rely on my faith and turn it over to God. I had a very faithful friend pray for me specifically about this need. Over the next few, weeks amazing things started to happen.

Within hours of that prayer, Sandi Strickler contacted us about doing the Taste of Mifflinburg to benefit the Blue Butterfly Fund. This ended up being an incredible event and very successful. Bennett’s birthday was just a week before the event, and I was feeling really down because I didn’t really feel like I honored him that day. But at the Taste of Mifflinburg we did a candle lighting ceremony to the song “I can only imagine” (which was sung at Bennett’s celebration of life ceremony) and it was incredibly moving. I felt Bennett’s spirit smiling on us all that night, and my heart was elated that we did have a birthday celebration that he deserved.

Within a week of that prayer, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church of Lewisburg asked us about doing a Blue Butterfly Sunday as a fundraiser. They sold blue butterflies attached to yellow balloons in memory or in honor of someone who had cancer. I was asked to speak at the services that day, and it was incredible to see all the balloons in sanctuary. At the contemporary service, they played a song that was really important to me during Bennett’s last few months (of course they had no idea that this song touches my heart so deeply). It was truly a sign from God, “See, I am always here.”

A week or so after the prayer, we received a large donation from an individual and many other smaller donations. And they all make a difference. And we were able to meet the needs of all the families that requested assistance!

It amazes me to see what God can do when we have faith. When we have faith, miracles happen. When miracles happen, our faith grows even stronger. Being caught in the cycle of faith and miracles is a glorious place to be. If we have faith, there is nothing God cannot do. When we believe, God achieves (much more than anything we could every plan out ourselves). When we believe, God blesses us beyond our dreams!

Scripture

“In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.” –Proverbs 3:6

“And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.” –Matthew 13:58

“And even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip; and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed.”-Acts 8:13

Quotation

“ Faith is, at one and the same time, absolutely necessary and altogether impossible.” –Stanislaw Lem Polish science fiction author (1921 - 2006)

“The most astonishing thing about miracles is that they happen.” –G.K. Chesterton English author (1874-1936)

Prayer

I found this poem on the back of a card recently and thought it appropriate here:

You are the peace that guards my heart

My help in time of need

You are the hope that leads me on

And brings me to me knees

For there I find You waiting

And there I find release

So with all my heart

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