A "Forcefield" around my flowers.......The Power of Faith

When we moved here in the fall of 2007 I'd planted over 200 bulbs (tulips and daffodils) with eager anticipation of their beautiful blooms in the spring. For those of you that remember, Spring of 2008 got an unusual hailstorm in April just after my tulips had started to open. After the hail and freezing temperatures they never fully opened and actually ended up dying without us ever getting to enjoy their blooms. When I saw the freezing cold forecast for this week I felt so frustrated I wanted to cry. I don't know what is going on with the weather this year but Monday we had heavy hail and snowfall off and on ALL day. My daffodils had only recently bloomed and I thought for sure that for the 2nd year in a row my flowers were going to die before their time. That night freezing temperatures in the teens were forecasted and I had pretty much lost all hope. But my children hadn't. That night when I was tucking the boys in bed Benjamin and Joseph told me that in their personal prayers they had prayed that my daffodils wouldn't die. I thought this was very sweet of them but beyond that didn't think much of it.

The next morning I was racing out the door to take Jacob down to the bus and when I ran past my flowers I noticed that they had amazingly survived the hail, snow and freezing temperatures. I was in shock and pointed it out to Jacob as we walked past them. "I know Mom," he said, "it's because I prayed that there would be a force field around your flowers."

The simple faith of my children really touched me and I started to wonder if it was their sweet prayers that had saved my struggling flowers. Now, I don't know a whole lot about daffodils- maybe they are hearty enough to withstand these kinds of temperatures. I'm just remembering what happened to my tulips last year and feeling very grateful for their survival.

I don't usually pray for trivial things like flowers but I do believe in the power of faith and have felt its influence in my life many times. I have felt the power of faith the greatest when I have been in danger and needed my Heavenly Father to deliver me. In desperation, I have called out to Him in faith and have felt a very real force and power intervene on my behalf. I know that the power of faith is real and that when our faith is unshaken miracles can occur. I have seen it in my own life and as a further testimony we have the witness of ancient prophets from the scriptures testifying of the miracles they received through the power of their faith.
Here are some of my favorite passages.....

Hebrews Chapter 11: (The Bible)

11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

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28 Through faith he (Moses) kept the passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

29 By faith they passed through the Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

Ether Chapter 12: (The Book of Mormon)
13 Behold, it was the faith of Alma and Amulek that caused the prison to tumble to the earth.

14 Behold, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost.

15 Behold, it was the faith of Ammon nd his brethren which wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites.

16 Yea, and even all they who wrought miracles wrought them by faith, those who were before Christ and also those who were after.

17 And it was by faith that the three disciples obtained a promise that they should not taste of death; and they obtained not the promise until after their faith.

18 And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.

19 And there were many whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept from within the veil but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith, and they were glad.

20 And behold, we have seen in this record that one of these was the brother of Jared; for so great was his faith in God, that when God put forth his finger he could not hide it from the sight of the brother of Jared, because of his word which he had spoken unto him, which word he had obtained by faith.

A couple of years ago a friend of mine (Pam) made a comment one day about faith being an actual power like electricity or another form of energy. Since that conversation I have reflected many times on the principle of faith and have consequently grown in my understanding of this truth. The more experiences with faith that I have the more that I learn and the more I feel the need to increase and strengthen my own faith. Sometimes I wish for the faith of a child and remember from my own childhood having that perfect faith for seemingly trivial or every day things. I wish I could return to those days when I had such simple faith for such little things.

Whether life saving or daffodil saving I know that the power of faith is real and I am continually grateful for the blessings it brings to me in my day to day life.