Heavenly Father is a God of Miracles

This blog began as a compilation of talks and lessons given at BYU in a singles ward and stake.  Slowly I continue to add talks and lessons I've been blessed to give.  This talk is given in Korovou, Fiji.  It is a small branch of about 50 members who attend regularly.  It sits on top of a hill overlooking a large jungle area of Fiji.  You can see the ocean in the distance and acres and acres of forested jungle.  It's the most beautiful setting I've been able to attend church.

September 15, 2019

In June, while we were still in China,  a new branch president was called.  The week following his sustaining, he spoke to our branch and gave us 3 challenges.  He asked us to have a loving heart, to notice the daily miracles in our lives and to write them down and to pray for more and he asked us to help in the gathering of Israel.  Today I would like to talk to you about miracles.  Miracles happen daily in our lives if we have faith and if we will ask for them.  Sometimes they are so small that we don’t see them.  The challenge to notice the daily miracles has been an eye opener for me.  I must admit, that I haven’t been able to always see a miracle every day.  But when I stop and look and pay attention I have noticed that there are many miracles that happen in our lives.  Sometimes we receive miracles and sometimes we are instrumental in others receiving miracles.

On the church web site Miracles is defined as an extraordinary event caused by the power of God. Miracles should not be regarded as deviations from the ordinary course of nature so much as manifestations of divine or spiritual power.  Miracles were and are a response to faith and its best encouragement.

I read that to say…yes miracles can be an extraordinary act of God’s power but even the most simplest act from God should be seen as a miracle which comes as a result of our faith and prayers.

In the Book of Mormon, Moroni said, Mormon 9:11

11 But behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, even the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are.

Also: 2 Nephi 27:23

23 For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.

Throughout the scriptures we have read of miracles; the parting of the Red Sea when Moses and the Israelites were escaping their bondage from Egypt.  Daniel, when placed  in the lions den was able to walk about unharmed.  When the Savior was on the earth he performed countless miracles, changing the water to wine, raising Lazareth from the dead, making the blind see and the lame walk. He walked on the water and he calmed the stormy sea.  Nephi was able to retrieve the brass plates from Laban—indeed that was a miracle as well.  And when an angel appeared unto Alma and the sons of Mosiah, this was also a miracle and their hearts were changed.  These valiant sons of God performed many miracles as they taught the Lamanites and converted hundreds.  And in our dispensation of time, we continue to see mighty miracles beginning when God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to young boy, even Joseph Smith in a grove of trees.  Joseph Smith was instrumental in bringing forth the Book of Mormon and restoring Jesus Christ’s church here on the earth.  All miracles performed by the hand of God.

So if God is the same yesterday, today and forever, then he must still be a God of Miracles.  And we can have miracles performed in our lives.

Moroni said: 19 And if there were miracles wrought then, why has God ceased to be a God of miracles and yet be an unchangeable Being? And behold, I say unto you he changeth not; if so he would cease to be God; and he ceaseth not to be God, and is a God of miracles.

God is a God of miracles during the Old Testament time.  He was a God of Miracles during the Book of Mormon times.  He was a God of Miracles thoughout the life of the Savior, Jesus Christ.  And he is a God of Miracles today.  Some of the miracles today are just as in times of old.  They are extraordinary events but some are also small and simple according to our needs and desires.

There are many things that constitute a miracle.  Pres. Kimball said that forgiveness was a miracle. He told of an experience he had in helping a woman who came to him feeling despondent about the sin she had committed. She said: “I know what I have done. I have read the scriptures, and I know the consequences. I know that I am damned and can never be forgiven, and therefore why should I try now to repent?”

President Kimball responded: “My dear sister, you do not know the scriptures. You do not know the power of God nor his goodness. You can be forgiven for this heinous sin, but it will take much sincere repentance to accomplish it.”

He then quoted to her several scriptures regarding the forgiveness that comes to those who sincerely repent and obey God’s commandments. Continuing to instruct her, he saw hope awaken in her until finally she exclaimed: “Thank you, thank you! I believe you. I shall really repent and wash my filthy garments in the blood of the Lamb and obtain that forgiveness.”

President Kimball recalled that the woman eventually returned to his office “a new person—bright of eye, light of step, full of hope as she declared to me that, since that memorable day when hope had seen a star and had clung to it, she had never reverted to [the sin] nor any approaches to it.”²  What a great example how forgiveness is definitely a miracle.  Through repentance and forgiveness we can become a new person.  That is truly a miracle.

Many of you may have seen the faith of a young child who prays to help him/her find a lost item.  The miracle occurred when the lost item was found.  I saw that in our home just a few months ago.  Our 5 year-old grandson, Kyson, had lost a small ball and had searched everywhere for it, but to no avail.  Soon he said, “I know!”  And then I saw him go behind the couch and kneel in prayer.  It was just a couple of minutes after ending his short prayer, that he found his small ball.  We may think that God isn’t concerned with small balls, but he is concerned with the souls of his children and even his grown children.  Kyson learned that day, that God loves him and he learned that he can turn to his Heavenly Father in prayer whenever and wherever needed and God will send the miracle of answering prayers in his behalf.  I hope we all know and have experienced the miracle of prayer for through prayers miracles come to be.

I am sure many of you have seen the miracles that happen when we pay our tithing.  Brother Culhulacán of Mexico told this story: I had been a member of the Church for only one month when I paid my first full tithe. I was the only member in my family, and tithing was complicated for my family to understand. My mother discouraged me from paying tithing and wanted me to give her the money instead.

One day before work, I realized that there was no food in the refrigerator and I’d have to buy something to eat. I didn’t have any money with me, so I asked my mom to lend me money for lunch. She refused and said I didn’t have money because I had paid my tithing.

I went to get my Book of Mormon and told her that this book would give me my nourishment for the day—my spiritual nourishment. I opened it in front of my mother and found 100 pesos (enough to buy some lunch) tucked inside. It was a miracle—I hadn’t put that money in my scriptures. I learned a great lesson: although challenges and temptations are everywhere, I will always be blessed as I pay a full tithe and keep the commandments.

Elder Bednar told the following story: Sister Bednar’s mother is a faithful woman and an inspired homemaker. From the earliest days of her marriage, she carefully has kept the household financial records. For decades she has accounted conscientiously for the family income and expenditures using very simple ledgers. The information she has collected over the years is comprehensive and informative.

When Sister Bednar was a young woman, her mother used the data in the ledgers to emphasize basic principles of provident living and prudent home management. One day as they reviewed together various categories of expenses, her mother noted an interesting pattern. The costs for doctor visits and medicines for their family were far lower than might have been expected. She then related this finding to the gospel of Jesus Christ and explained to her daughter a powerful truth: as we live the law of tithing, we often receive significant but subtle blessings that are not always what we expect and easily can be overlooked. The family had not received any sudden or obvious additions to the household income. Instead, a loving Heavenly Father had bestowed simple blessings in seemingly ordinary ways.

I know that tithing miracles don’t always produce money…but I do know that if we pay our tithing, we will have miracles in our lives as we need them.  We will have the windows of Heaven opened to us as they pour blessings down from God.

Your miracle may be as simple as being at the right place at the right time.  I want to tell you about an incident that happened to us while in China.  It was a Sunday afternoon or early evening of  the last week we were there.  We had been in our apartment working on some things when Elder Roper said he was needing a walk.  I said, I was just about done with some items and when finished we could go.  It took me 5 or 10 minutes to finish what I was doing but by then he was busy doing something else.  So maybe 30 minutes later we finally left to go out for a little walk.  We walked down the street to the main area of town.  There were many people out walking the streets as normal.  But on this particular day, as we walked down the street I thought one of my students was walking towards us.  You must realize that the students all lived about 40 minutes away from our apartment so we didn’t usually see our students in our part of town.  As we got closer, I could tell it was him.  We approached Darren and he gave me a big hug and then he introduced me to his parents who were in town that day only and they had come up to our area to do some shopping. I was able to meet them and let them know what a privilege it had been for me to teach their son and tell them what a great young man he was.  It was a small thing.  But it meant a lot to me and I believe it meant a lot to them.  If we had gone out earlier, we would not have crossed paths with Darren and his parents.  We were at the right place at the right time. 

I’d like to share another experience.  One day while traveling on the subway in China a middle-aged man approached us and said hello.  He began to talk with us about where we were going.  Elder Roper complimented him on his English skills.   This man told us that he was an English teacher.  We then found out that he taught at the university right next to where we lived.  We told him that we taught English at XISU.  He told us that he had been a student at XISU 30 years previous.  That was great and interesting but then he said.  When he was a student there, he had an English teacher from America.  We told him we were from America.  Then he said she was from UTAH.  We were in awe at this point and we said, we were from UTAH.  Then he said she was from BYU.  And we said, we were from BYU.  He proceeded to tell us how this teacher had influenced his life.  He had gone to America to attend school.  When he finished, he went to Utah to see this teacher.  She had shown him around Salt Lake City and Temple Square and BYU.  Thirty years later he remembered this teacher and the influence she had on his life.  Xian, the city where we lived, is a city of 10-12 million people.  The chances of running into this man, were very, very slim.  Yet we met him and learned the impact a teacher in the same program we were in had on him.  To us, that was a miracle.  It gave us hope that maybe we could make a difference in the lives of the students we were teaching.  It taught us the importance of the program we worked in. It was a miracle.

As I see it, the simple blessings we receive in life are miracles.  God blesses us not only in our daily lives but hour by hour.  We receive countless blessings.  I see these blessings as miracles.  They are God’s love for us and all His children.  We only need to have faith in Him, keep his commandments and he will pour out miracles upon our heads, into our hands, into our lives.  The miracle may be a change of heart, or the ability to cope with trials that lay before us.  The miracle may be patience or courage.  The miracle may be a greater love for others.  The miracle may be an extraordinary event but more likely it will come as a small and simple thing.  And we know that by small and simple things, great things come to pass. 

I am grateful for the miracles that happen in my life.  I encourage all of us to look daily for those miracles, to record them—because if we don’t we tend to forget—and  to pray for them.  I know that our Heavenly Father loves us more than we can comprehend. He is waiting for the opportunity to pour out miracles upon us because  he is a God of Miracles.