We must never under estimate the power of prayer. There are many stories in the bible when a miracle has occurred due to the power of prayer. In fact throughout history there are many stories recorded by people claiming that miracles have happened as a result of prayer.
In May 1940, thousands of troops were stranded in France. As the Germans advanced towards them, their situation looked very grim, and their only chance of returning home was to cross the English Channel through the French city of Dunkirk. This retreat left them all trapped on the beaches with their backs to the sea.
After a briefing with Churchill about this grave situation, King George VI decided to address the nation and call a National Day of Prayer, which was to be held on May 26th 1940.
“Let us with one heart and soul, humbly but confidently, commit our cause to God and ask his aid, that we may valiantly defend the right as it is given to us to see it.”
So, on May 26th millions of people across the country responded to the Day of National Prayer. Newspapers reported that nothing like this had ever happened before, as people from all walks of life, and of all religions packed into the churches, cathedrals, mosques, and synagogues to pray for deliverance.
The first miracle happened the exact day that George VI called for National Day of Prayer, as on May 24th Field Marshal Gerd Von Rundstedt with the approval of Hitler, halted the advance of the German tanks. Historians today still debate why this decision was made, as the German tanks could have easily annihilated the weak British and French forces. As the advancement of the German tanks were halted for 3 days it gave the allied troops time to shore up their defensive line to temporarily hold back the Germans.
When the Germans resumed their attack the second miracle happened. A violent storm broke out causing heavy rain and low hanging clouds which grounded the German Air Force, preventing them from bombing Dunkirk.
The third miracle was the exact opposite of the inclement weather, as the English Channel which is known for its notoriously choppy, rough and dangerous seas became surprisingly calm. This was the key to the fourth miracle. There were limited battleships to ferry troops out of Dunkirk, so hundreds of private vessels, rowing boats, motorboats and trawlers responded to the evacuation mission. These ordinary people of both sex and of all ages, bravely crossed the Channel, sailing back and forth, without any weapons, rescuing the stranded troops and leading them to safe shores.
Churchill who considered himself to be non religious, called this rescue operation a miracle, for how can the evacuation of so many troops in 9 days be explained! Without any one of these miracles, the operation would have failed. Was it prayer that answered this grave situation and did the power of prayer create this miracle?
Dunkirk is a testament that the bigger the problems the greater the miracles. The truth is that we can pray for anything, big or small and still see miracles.
There is some form of prayer in every religion and spiritual path of the world. Every day people are praying for health, healing and happiness. Many of us, even those who claim not to have a religion, will admit that at some point in our lives we have prayed for assistance. This is usually the last resort and the final plea to a higher power, when everything else has been tried.
The truth is, that prayer can be said at any time, for any reason big or small, as God wants to shower us all with blessings and love.
“Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you” (1 Peter 5:7)
God wants us to communicate with him, even though he knows everything about us. Pouring your heart out to God through prayer can offer a sense of peace, as God is pure love and he loves all of us unconditionally.
It does not matter how you pray or where you pray, as God will always hear you and listen. We do not have to use eloquent words or memorised prayers to pray to God. God is more interested if we pray from our hearts and not hold back. John Bunyan says,
“In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”
Sometimes we may think that our prayers have gone unanswered, but we must remember that God’s wisdom and timings are greater than ours. We are here to learn and all our experiences in life, good and bad teach us and help us grow as human beings. God already knows what our path in life is, and we have to trust him to guide us, even if it means taking a few wrong turns. Even in our darkest hours, God will always be there to comfort us.
We must have patience and faith that our prayers will be answered. Sometimes if our prayer is unanswered there may be something better coming our way as God has bigger and better plans. As we pray we must try not to trust in our understanding but to trust in God’s leading. We need to surrender and let go.
God will provide us with lots of opportunities or place people into our lives at the right times to help us. He may also give us inspirational thoughts and that intuitive feeling in answer to our prayers. It is up to us to take action on any of these feelings we receive. Remember God is pure love and he will only open the doors that are good for us. Taking action creates miracles.
Above all the most important prayer is to give thanks. God has given us the greatest gift of all and that is the gift of life. We only have to look around us to witness miracles every day. The blue sky above us, the fresh air we breathe, or the delicate flower with its heavenly fragrance. We should appreciate and love all of this beauty before us. We do not need to wait to pray for big miracles, as we must appreciate and give thanks for the little miracles that happen in all our lives every day. We must express appreciation for all the blessings in our lives. Even the challenges we face can be blessings. This helps us feel humble which keeps our hearts and minds open to God’s answers.
I know that I am blessed to have a wonderful husband and two lovely daughters. I have worries and problems, as most of us do, but I am happy and truly grateful for the life that I have been given. I give thanks to God every day and I ask him to show me how I can serve him and what he wants for me. I have faith that he will protect me from harm and guide me to my life’s purpose.
Remember never to underestimate the power of prayer. God always listens to our prayers and he works in us and through us to create the big and the small miracles.