Posted on 02/07/2011 7:23:46 PM PST by Paragon Defender
Sydney S. Reynolds
First Counselor in the Primary General Presidency
Sydney S. Reynolds, "A God of Miracles", Ensign, May 2001, 12
I believe that all of us can bear witness to these small miracles.
With Moroni of old, I believe in a God of miracles. Moroni wrote to the people of our dispensation, “Behold, I will show unto you a God of miracles, … and it is that same God who created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are” (Morm. 9:11). Moroni proclaimed that Jesus Christ did many mighty miracles, that many mighty miracles were wrought by the hands of the Apostles, and that a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever must be a God of miracles today (see Morm. 9:18; Morm. 9:9).
Think of the miracles of the Old Testament. Remember Moses and the parting of the Red Sea. For all future generations of Israelites, the great miracles that led to their deliverance from Egypt provided undeniable proof of God’s existence and His love for them.
Many Book of Mormon prophets, including Nephi, pointed to the story of Moses to encourage faith and belief in a God who could deliver His people in their distress (see 1 Ne. 4:1–3). Other Book of Mormon prophets reminded the people that they themselves had witnessed miracles that should convince them of God’s power.
In the New Testament, the Apostle John shared his reason for recording many of the Savior’s miracles—namely, “that [we] might believe that Jesus is the Christ” (John 20:31).
In this dispensation we witness the great miracle of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth. It began when a young boy entered a grove of trees near Palmyra, New York, and poured out his heart and his questions to a God he believed could answer him—the God of miracles. And miracles have followed in this dispensation—mighty miracles—including the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, which is itself another testament of Jesus Christ.
Just as important as these “mighty miracles” are the smaller “private miracles” that teach each of us to have faith in the Lord. These come as we recognize and heed the promptings of the Spirit in our lives.
I am grateful for a teacher who encouraged his students to keep a journal of the whisperings or promptings of the Spirit in their lives. He directed us to note what we felt and what resulted. Little things became evident. One day I was frantically trying to complete some assignments and prepare for a trip. I had just been down to the laundry area of the dorm to move my clothes from the washer to the dryer. Unfortunately, all the dryers were in use, and they all had many minutes to go. I went back upstairs discouraged, knowing by the time those dryers finished, I had to be on the road. I had barely returned to my room when I felt prompted to go back downstairs and check the laundry again. Foolishness, I thought—I had just been there, and I didn’t have time. But because I was trying to listen, I went. Two of the dryers were empty—and I was able to meet all my commitments. Could the Lord possibly have been concerned about smoothing my way in such a small but, to me, important matter? I have learned since through many such experiences that the Lord will help us in every aspect of our lives when we are trying to serve Him and do His will.
I believe that all of us can bear witness to these small miracles. We know children who pray for help to find a lost item and find it. We know of young people who gather the courage to stand as a witness of God and feel His sustaining hand. We know friends who pay their tithing with the last of their money and then, through a miracle, find themselves able to pay their tuition or their rent or somehow obtain food for their family. We can share experiences of prayers answered and priesthood blessings that gave courage, brought comfort, or restored health. These daily miracles acquaint us with the hand of the Lord in our lives.
My mind has been much on this topic because of an experience our family has had in the last few months. Our daughter and her husband took a while to find each other and then, though they wanted children with all their hearts, over a number of years had difficulty realizing that dream. They prayed and they sought priesthood blessings and medical help, and eventually were thrilled to learn they were expecting twins.
Things did not go smoothly, however, and three and a half months before the babies were due to arrive, the mother-to-be found herself in the labor and delivery section of the hospital. The doctors at first were hopeful that they could stop the labor for a few more weeks. Quickly, however, the question became, would they even have the 48 hours necessary for medication to prepare the babies’ immature lungs to function?
A nurse came in from the newborn intensive care unit to show the couple pictures of the machines the babies would be hooked up to if they were born alive. She explained the risks for eye damage, for lung collapse, for physical impairment, for brain damage. The couple listened, humbled yet hopeful, and then, despite all the doctors could do, it was obvious that these babies were coming.
They were born alive. First the baby girl and then the baby boy—weighing less than four pounds together—were rushed to the intensive care unit and put on ventilators, with umbilical tubes and intravenous lines and constant attention. They can’t have too much light, they can’t have too much noise, their chemical balances need constant monitoring, as the hospital, with millions of dollars of equipment and many wonderful doctors and nurses, attempted to replicate the miracle of a mother’s womb.
There are multitudes of little miracles every day: a collapsed lung heals and then, despite the odds, continues to function properly; pneumonia is beaten back; more deadly infections invade and are overcome; IV lines go bad and are replaced. After two and a half months, the baby boy has gained two pounds and can breathe with an oxygen supplement. His ventilator is gone, he learns to eat, and his grateful parents take him home with monitors attached.
The baby girl keeps pulling her ventilator tube out, setting off alarms across the nursery. Maybe she wants to keep up with her brother, we think, but her throat closes off each time, and she just can’t breathe on her own. Her throat is so inflamed that at times the respiratory therapists have great difficulty reinserting the tube, and she almost dies. Her normal progress is stymied by her continued dependence on the ventilator.
Finally, after her baby brother has been home for two months, the doctors feel they are forced to suggest surgery for her—a surgery that will allow her to breathe by opening a hole in her throat, a surgery that might solve the stomach problems by opening a hole in her side, but a surgery that will impact her little body for many more months and maybe for the rest of her life. As the parents wrestled with this decision, a beloved aunt sent a message to all the family. She explained the situation—the critical issue of timing, the importance of getting off the ventilator—and suggested that we join our faith once again, and in prayer and fasting ask for one more miracle—if it was the Lord’s will. We would culminate our fast with a prayer the evening of December 3.
Let me read from a letter that was sent to the family the morning of December 4. “Dearest Family, Wonderful news! Blessings from the Lord. Our heartfelt thanks for your prayers and fasting in behalf of our little girl. Yesterday morning she came off the ventilator and has been off for 24 hours at this writing. To us, it is a miracle. The medical staff are still guarded about predicting the future, but we are so grateful to the Lord and to you. We are praying that this will mark the beginning of the end of her hospital stay. And we even dare to hope that she’ll be home for Christmas.”
She did make it home for Christmas, and both babies are currently doing “just fine.” Our family has had its own “parting of the Red Sea,” and we are prepared to testify that there is today, as there was yesterday and will be forever, a “God of miracles” who loves His children and desires to bless them.
Now, we know, as you do, that all petitions to the Lord and all fasts do not receive this same hoped-for answer. Our extended family also has faced the death of loved ones, serious illness, the trial of divorce, and children who are choosing another path. We do not always understand the reasons behind the tests that come with mortality. But our faith has grown, and perhaps yours has too, as we have watched loved ones, friends, and people we know only by reputation endure with faith in the Lord the most severe trials. They, too, know the God of miracles and witness in their extremity that whatever the future holds for them, the Lord knows them and loves them and is blessing them. They are sealed to Him and to each other forever, and they are willing to submit their wills to His.
How have they come to such a point? How do we access the quiet miracle that the Lord works as He transforms us, His children, into worthy heirs of the kingdom of God? I believe it is made possible because “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). I believe it comes as we yield to the enticings of the Spirit, put off the natural man, and are filled with the love of God (see Mosiah 3:19). “Through the Atonement of [Jesus] Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel” (A of F 1:3). All mankind—that includes me, that includes you—we can each have part in the Atonement, the greatest of all God’s miracles.
God did part the Red Sea, and He did give us the Book of Mormon. He can heal us of our sins, and He can and will bless us, His children, in our daily lives. I know that He lives and loves us and is today a God of miracles, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
I remember my Mom saying as Christians we have a cup that over flows. I am convinced that the lds’ cup is one of those trick dribble cups, it’s just not what it appears to be.
I don't suffer fools gladly. "Yes I did!" "No, you didn't!" "Yes I did!" "No, you didn't" gets old real fast.
With five children, I learned patience. But I had more meaningful discussions with my children at six years of age than with the one who refuses to answer a question. I taught all my children critical thinking skills, reason and logic. It is hard to win an argument with them if I don't have all my facts together.
I know. I mentioned that to him/her several times.
S/he responded that in the amount of time I spent responding to him/her, I could have found my answers in the alleged links s/he never provided.
I am sure you can show us where Elsie broke the rules...
I was refering to her calling me an idiot. One of the few times I reported abuse. I don’t even know if it is still there I’ll have to look. I considered saying nothing as it further illustrates the poor behavior and hypocrisy of the anti-Gang.
It was a glorious thing...
lol at least you got something.
Elsie Elsie Elsie.... you are too funny.
I have never lied on these forums. Ever. Sorry.
You did say “or”...
The Anti-Mormon gang spouts Anti-Mormon Propaganda constantly. That’s a fact. I don’t care if you like the way it’s phrased or not. It’s a fact.
Even when confronted on the “blasphemy” episode, the attempt was made to turn it around on to me. That it was my “twisting” of what was said
umm... you did twist it. I never said what you said I said. I even laid it out for you one statement vs the other. 2 totally different things. Sorry. You lose.
.
But MORMONism WARNS it's member 'not to think yourself out of faith'.
Either fight like a man or beat it.
Oh thank you sooo much for giving me my choices. /eyeroll
I will continue to provide sources to the Truth. If you think that is “unmanly” so be it. I don’t really care.
WHY are you AVOIDING the Coke® thing?
"umm... you did twist it. I never said what you said I said. I even laid it out for you one statement vs the other. 2 totally different things. Sorry. You lose."
That is a LIE.
Elsie Elsie Elsie.... you are too funny.
WHY are you AVOIDING the Coke® thing?
I am avoiding nothing but a stupid question.
And it’s addressed at the links provided.
“umm... you did twist it. I never said what you said I said. I even laid it out for you one statement vs the other. 2 totally different things. Sorry. You lose.”
That is a LIE.
Your statement vs what I said:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2668030/posts?q=1&;page=451
post 483
“You stated that we posted nothing but blasphemy.”
vs
“If there’s any blasphemy going on here it’s spouted by the anti-Mormon gang.”
If you can’t understand the difference that is a wee bit strange.
That is "dishonorable".
It may be within forum guidelines and rules, but it is NOT "honorable".
It is my opinion that the very method that is being used by Paragon "Defender" is an attempt at a clever end run around the very nature of the forum and the forum rules, and as a covert "in-your-face" disrespect of Jim Robinson's expressed abhorrence of the Christian bashing that was going on in the LDS Caucus threads.
I have noticed that the articles being posted now by PD are even more anti-Christian in nature and the threads are becoming in effect "caucus-like" in PD's refusal to even attempt to enter into a two-way conversation as we see in his non-responses to FatherofFive making a mockery of the very title "forum" (forum:a public meeting or assembly for open discussion).
We see very few posts by other FR mormons, and in my opinion they are content to let PD carry on his little joke.
Now, I have seen several instances where the RM has indicated that if a poster is NOT adding to the conversation, but is in fact acting as a disruptor they have been removed from the thread.
RM, is there a difference between the disruptor non-responses and Paragon Defender's spam posts and non-responsive posts that add nothing to an honest discussion of the posted article?
Is this method of dishonest avoidance of actual discussion to continue? That seems to lead those of us who actually wish to discuss the article two choices: To be led down the garden path of back-and-forth name-calling, or avoiding completely these threads, and in effect allowing them to become mormon caucuses on anti-Christian articles which JR has condemned. If you will visit the posting history of Paragon Defender, you will see numerous threads that have under 50 replies on them.
This in effect, allows the anti-Christian article to stand alone as a caucus, with no posts that elicit a "discussion".
This seems again to lead to the practice of using the FR religion forum as a proselytizing arm of the mormon church.
But where would my statement be incorrect? Huh? Parsing words is the norm, not unexpected. You stated that we post “blasphemy”, I challenged you on it numerous times,
Just because I wasn’t “exact” in my wording for that post after numerous posts challenging you on the puerile and smarmy accusation changes nothing.
You accused of us posting blasphemy, where is it?
Anyway, my post was directed at your “never been dishonorable” tripe.
Which I note, you had no smarmy comment for. I’ll take it that I was correct.
Oh, another mormon left mormonism today.
Have a good one!
Sorry RM,
I changed my post and forgot to drop you off the “To:” list on my previous post.
Not trying to get you to weigh in on my post or anything with this one.
My apologies.
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