Tag: Miracles

Our Refuge is God Alone

On By CarmenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

If you are feeling overwhelmed by your current circumstances or even afraid of what may lie ahead, take solace that God is in control.

He is on top of what seems out of control in your life or around you.

Whether it’s finances, family issues, loss of a job, health concerns, addictions, or any other adversity—you can count on God to help you and bring you out of the hardship for the better.

The Bible tells us that God is with us and guiding us through each difficult situation we encounter.

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8  

One of the many blessings I have received from reading God’s word is that I have learned about many keepers of the faith who were able to overcome dire circumstances because God loved them and provided the answer, the way out, and the peace to keep moving along with Him.  

When I walked through difficult situations in the past, my mind would immediately go to heroes such as Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Esther, David, and Daniel, just to name a few. I recalled how faithful God was to them, and I believed that He would do the same for me.

Why did I believe this? Because His word tells us that He does not show favoritism, but rewards those who follow Him and gives them peace (Romans 2:9-11).

It is our faith in God that allows us to see His supernatural power at work.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

He majestically guides, protects, and transforms us while changing our situations. He helps us overcome our adversary because He loves us and created us for His purposes.

God called Abraham to leave his home and follow Him to a better place to live that he knew nothing about nor how to get there. As God instructed him every step of the way, He encouraged him with promises for a good future for him and his descendants. Abraham, although not perfect, believed God even when he could not see how He would work it all out. God was pleased with Abraham’s faith and considered him righteous and called him a friend (James 2:23). Abraham lived many years and received all the promises God made to him in his lifetime and beyond—and it is because of Abraham’s faith that we are blessed today (Genesis 11–25).

Joseph was hated by his older siblings who sold him into slavery and was taken to a foreign land where while continuing to be obedient to God through difficult circumstances, he was thrown in prison. But God was with him even in prison and orchestrated his release and swift promotion to governor of Egypt, second in power only to Pharoah. Even though Joseph suffered greatly from his own family and fellow Egyptian citizens, God had a divine purpose for him—to save his family and the future nation of Israel (Genesis 37–50).

Moses was transformed from a shepherd in the desert to a great leader who led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, through the wilderness, and up to the Promised Land. He led hundreds of thousands for approximately 40 years, many of whom complained, rebelled, and threatened to kill him. Moses had the responsibility to protect, feed, find water, teach, judge, build a mobile sanctuary, discipline, train for war, intercede for, and forgive the entire way. For a mortal man this would be impossible, but God was there with Moses, guiding him and performing miracles for and through him (Exodus–Deuteronomy).

Joshua took over when Moses died and was responsible for leading Israel, numbered in the millions, across the Jordan River into the Promised Land inhabited by Canaanites. Joshua had to trust God that he could not only lead this great nation, but that he could also defeat the Canaanites as instructed by God to gain possession of the land. He had to trust God for his very life and for the livelihood of his people (Joshua 1-24).

Esther was a young Jewish woman taken from her home to compete against many other beautiful women for wife of King Ahasuerus in Persia. Her beauty and intelligence won the favor of the king, and she became Queen of Persia. She had to learn a new language and culture, and with this new role, she had to learn and execute the court life of royalty. When the Jews were threatened to be killed by an evil senior nobleman of the court, Esther had to lay her life on the line by going into the king unannounced. She called for a fast and prayer within her Jewish family and community to win the favor of the king as she went in for a special request. She could have been killed if the king wished by her unannounced appearance. The king granted her entry and request for a special dinner where she planned to expose the evil nobleman intent on annihilating her and her fellow Israelites. God was with her in this all the way and gave her the wisdom and favor she needed to succeed in order to save the Jewish nation (Esther 1-10).

The God of yesterday is the same God as today and tomorrow. (Hebrews 13:8)

I can also attest to God’s goodness and faithfulness.

Because I trusted in Him, he took me from uncertain days and nights wondering whether I would be able to overcome trials to leaving all my concerns to Him in prayer.

Also, I realized that I had to be content with having JUST my Savior Jesus by my side. I had to place Him first in my life.

And how could I not? He loved me so much that He gave His life as a ransom for me.

I was not perfect along the way, but I trusted God and I set my life goal to seek after Him. I no longer put my faith in people or circumstances. I dove into His word and believed Him for a victorious life.

I made myself available to serve Him in the doors of ministry that He opened for me, and I found purpose in helping others instead of being focused on myself and my troubles.

God in His faithfulness heard my prayers and brought me gradually to a life filled with many blessings—some I asked for over the years, and others I never even dreamed of.

God is faithful!

I would like to share another Scripture verse I learned that helped transform me from being unsure about my future to knowing that God was with me, helping me every step of the way despite difficult circumstances.

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.  Psalm 121

There is nothing our heavenly Father would not do to help His children overcome adverse situations and reach His purpose for their lives.

Following the ways of this world will not bring peace, joy, and fulfillment. Only God can.

If you are experiencing difficulties and don’t know what to do or can’t see your way through, I urge you to trust in God, surrender your life to Him (if you haven’t already), and seek after Him. You will be astounded by His perfect love, and you will find His will for your life.

May you be blessed as you listen to this song about how great and powerful God is.

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.

Prayer That’s Powerful

On By CarmenIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I have been wanting to write about prayer for some time, because I have personally seen God work miracles in my life and the life of others when we pray to Him and trust Him with the answer He gives us.

It’s important to know that God hears the prayers of His children.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 John 5:14

Prayer is a direct line to God and is welcomed by God. He wants you to communicate with Him and go to Him for your needs.

Prayer is a way for us to spend precious time with God and to draw near to Him. It is during times of quiet prayer that we often hear from God through the Holy Spirit what we should do when we are searching for answers.

And God is perfectly fine with you just spending time with Him in thankfulness and adoration.

Jesus tells us we must put God first in our lives.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. Matthew 6:33

All these things refer to our basic needs—food, shelter, clothing, etc. In the sixth chapter of Matthew, Jesus tells his followers to not worry about their needs in life, that God will provide because He already knows what they need.

Of course, we should not be lazy and wait for God to place our basic needs neatly in our laps. We should always work to achieve what we can and leave the rest to God. He knows our hearts and intentions and enables us to provide for ourselves. It is when we are not able that He intervenes by answering prayer in His loving, powerful way.

We should indeed ask God for what we need—according to His will.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

God is a good Father and He enjoys blessing His children just as you enjoy blessing yours.

This does not mean that if we pray for whatever we desire, God will give it to us. We must ask according to His will something that will be good for us now and in the future.

I’ve learned in seeking God that sometimes He says yes to my prayers, sometimes He says no, and sometimes His answer is delayed for the proper time to receive it.

For example, years ago when I was single, I was praying to God for a husband.

After some time seeking and asking God, I finally understood that He had to prepare me to be a good wife to the husband He would give me. He was not yet done molding me to be the wife I needed to be for the husband He was going to give me.

When I decided I would surrender it to Him—no matter how long it took—and wait for His best for me, God answered my prayer. He gave me a better husband than I asked for.  

Looking back, I am so happy that God did not give me who I wanted to be my husband at that time. Instead, He had someone in mind for me who would come along side me to be a loving husband and a great partner to achieve dreams that He has given me.

I believe that when we give our concerns to God and trust Him with His choices for our lives, we are blessed beyond what we could imagine.

God will give only His best to His children, not what will harm or destroy us.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:17-18

Firstfruits means the first and best of God’s creation. He placed man above all His creation on earth to be good stewards. He even made us in His image and gave us intelligence and abilities far above the rest of His creation.

God is good to us.  

He will not answer a prayer that will lead you into you sin or keep you in sin.

He will not answer a prayer that will do you harm.

He may choose to have you wait so that you can grow in your faith toward Him if you will seek Him and abide in Him. This is a good way to know God and to understand Him.

When we look back and understand that God did us a favor in saying no or making us wait for the right time, we appreciate His goodness toward us, and we trust Him even more.

I have come to realize that I am walking with God today because my dear grandmother prayed for me. She was the best grandmother anyone could have, and the greatest gift she gave me was her prayer over my life.

When we pray to God for something that we are concerned about and He says yes, we become captivated by His love for us.

In my first post, God Still Performs Miracles, I shared how my oldest brother was brain dead and I traveled home to say goodbye and to help my parents with the burial process. When I visited him in the ICU, all I could do was beg God for his salvation primarily and then for him to be given another chance to live. My family gathered around him and prayed that God would heal him completely.

AND HE DID!

I will never forget God’s goodness to my brother and my family during that week that I witnessed this miracle happen! It seemed impossible from our perspective, but NOT FOR GOD!

Jesus tells us when we pray together in His name, we are heard by our Father in heaven.

“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” Matthew 18:19-20

Will you pray along with me?

A few of my current prayers are for a friend who was just diagnosed with brain cancer, a baby girl and a church member’s husband who both need heart transplants urgently, freedom from addiction for certain family members, Israel and Ukraine to overcome their enemies, and salvation for those who have not yet surrendered to our LORD Jesus Christ.

If you have any prayer requests that you would like to share, I’ll be happy to pray along with you.

I would like to close with a beautiful song by one of my favorite Christian artists.

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my previous posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.

God Still Performs Miracles

On By CarmenIn Faith & Trust, God's Character2 Comments

Welcome!

My name is Carmen and my goal for this blog is to share stories in my life and the lives of others to praise our Lord and Savior and to encourage others who may be going through a difficult time that He is indeed almighty God and He is in control of all our situations.


Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!

Psalm 105:1-2


Over the last couple of years, I have been seeking God’s will for my life, praying for and asking Him what’s next for this season of my life. It has recently become evident to me that I should start writing about the goodness of God after I witnessed a personal family miracle a little over a year ago.

I was called by my parents to inform me that my older brother was in the hospital in ICU and was severely brain impaired. My father told me that several doctors and nurses told him if my brother were to come out of the heavily sedated coma he was in, he would have less than 5% use of his brain. He would basically be a vegetable—he would not know who he was, who we were; he would not be able to speak or understand us; and he would not have control over bodily functions. He was basically brain dead. I immediately started clearing my schedule and trying to decide when I should leave to make the twelve-hour drive home. I called my nephew who is my brother’s only child and spoke with him about when I should go and what the doctors were saying about how much time he had to live. He told me that his dad was on life-support and he was going to sign a DNR for the medical team. He also told me that if I needed time to travel, he would hold off on disconnecting him from life support until I had a chance to see him.

I immediately began praying and contacted my prayer warrior friends all over the US to ask for prayer and God’s will (even though I understood it might not be what I personally wanted). Meanwhile, friends and family were praying here in the US and abroad.

I made the 12-hour trip in one day and went to see my brother the following morning with my father. He was intubated and hooked up to several monitors for his brain, heart, kidneys, and other vital functions. His eyes were closed and as I approached him in the ICU all I could do was pray. I prayed for his salvation mostly, but I also prayed that God would allow him to live as normal a life as possible. I knew that God could keep him from dying, but was not sure that He would. After all, my brother did this to himself.

While there, I spoke with the head nurse of the ICU and asked a lot of the same questions that my family had already asked. They wanted to give us hope, but their experience could only speak the hard facts that he would most likely not live or have a normal life. My nephew had signed the DNR and all we could do was pray and continue to visit him during visiting hours daily.

My mother came with us to see him that evening and I had already prepared to read him a scripture verse from the Bible. I asked God to show me which verse to read and I felt that Psalm 23 was the chosen one for that evening. I had predetermined that I didn’t care what my family thought of this as they are more private with their prayer and outward profession of faith. So, I read Psalm 23 at his bedside and we said goodnight telling him that we would be back in the morning. The next day we noticed that he was beginning to move his body some and trying to open his eyes. The nurses monitored him closely, and again we asked if there was any chance that he could come out of this. The nurse said yes, but most people in his condition don’t make it. My father told me that he spoke with a female nurse prior to me traveling there, and she said that she had seen a few people come back and get up and walk and talk again as if nothing had happened. She was telling him to not give up hope. Meanwhile, our family and friends kept praying and asking us how he was doing. We asked them to please keep praying.

     

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,
you will ask what you desire, and it shall be
done for you.”

John 15:7

The third day, early in the morning around 6:00, the head nurse of the ICU called us and told us that my brother was staring at him intently as he was checking on him overnight. He went through a list of procedures of which I can’t recall now, but I do remember being filled with hope and praying to hear good news. I asked the nurse what he was trying to tell me and he replied that he wanted to give my brother more time. “It just so happened” that my nephew was ready to have the medical staff take him off life support this very day. We visited my brother as soon as visiting hours began and he was continuing to move and was opening his eyes a little. Later that evening, it seemed that he was trying to communicate with us, so I asked him to squeeze my hand if he understood me. I felt a slight motion and I told him that he needed to squeeze my hand harder—and he did! Not only was he starting to use his hands, he understood my requests! Thank you, Lord! Before we left, I led my family in prayer around him, holding his hands and asked God to heal him from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet.

I wrote “just so happened” because anyone who has experienced a miracle from God knows that it “didn’t just happen.”

It is God who brings the miracle and we should rightly give Him praise for it!



You are the God who works wonders; you have made
known your might among the peoples.

Psalm 77:14

We left the hospital that evening with renewed hope in our hearts and minds. The next morning, my father and I returned to the hospital ICU at the start of visiting hours and while we were walking in, the head nurse said to my father, “You are going to be very happy!” At the same time, I had glanced through the glass door into my brother’s room and he was reclining in his bed with most of the monitors taken off him. His eyes were open and he recognized me and started speaking faintly. He was his old cantankerous self! I am not much of a crier, but I can tell you that I shed some tears that morning. My father walked in with such a look of surprise on his face that was priceless. My nephew came in about five minutes later and his jaw had dropped in utter amazement. I texted my sister, “Your brother is back!” and she called immediately asking what I meant. I told her that he was alive and well. She was screaming and praising God so loudly that they had to close the door to his room. Soon after, a nephrologist came in to check on him and started asking him questions about who he was, and who my nephew, my dad, and I were. He answered all correctly! He even added that his other sister was on the phone with me. AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! To God be the glory!

The rest of the story:

My brother was moved to a regular room and stayed there for a couple of weeks before he was released. The hospital staff on that floor was glad to see him go. Did I mention that he was difficult? True to his personality, he refused all therapy and rehabilitation offered to him and was adamant about going home. After he was seen by the neurologist, he was finally released and was taken home. My concern was that he would not be able to take care of himself because he wasn’t walking when I left to go back home. A month or so went by and he showed up at my parents’ house to pick up his mail. He was walking without any aid!

I have experienced the Lord’s faithfulness in my life over the years and I can truly say that I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good!

God gave my brother another chance to live his life. Please pray with me that he will allow God to work in his life to let go of what put him near death. My prayer is that he would be fired up about overcoming his struggles and use his story as a testimony for the Lord.

I would like to end this post by linking a beautiful song that praises God for his goodness and faithfulness. May you be blessed.

“Goodness of God” – Bethel Music

If you want to have a relationship with God and are not sure how or where to start, see my posts Relationship with God and Relationship with God – Part 2.