“And he commanded the multitude to
sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and
looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his
disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were
filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.”--Matthew
14:19-20 (KJV)
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Miracles
come in all shapes and sizes. They can’t usually be immediately predicted, or explained. After all, there’s a
well-known saying: “Today’s miracle is tomorrow’s science.” We now use some of
the technology created for science fiction literature and entertainment. The cell
phones, submarines, and computers of today were predicted decades ago—or more.
This is why
any miracle builds hope. A miraculous encounter signifies that someone stepped
out in faith, and their devotion was rewarded. Christmas is a good time to
explore faith-building wonders, past and present. Let’s look at three examples:
The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes
(Matthew 14:19-20)
This
scripture passage is cited above. Jesus had just finished preaching to about
five thousand followers. It was growing late. He’d been preaching for hours,
most likely. His disciples suggested he send the listeners back to their homes;
they needed to eat.
Jesus suggested the disciples feed the crowd
where they were. John 6:9 specifies that a boy had five barley loaves and two
fishes. Jesus blessed and broke these up. They were distributed among the
thousands of of people. Twelve baskets were left over.
The next two
events are more modern. Most of the information is taken from the Travel
channel series: Mysteries at the Museum.
The Spanish-American War (1898)
Henry Howard
Whitney was on special commission to the war department. He concentrated on
Spanish-occupied Cuba and Puerto Rico. His assignment was to search (reconnoiter)
these islands and make maps of them. His detailed charts helped the U.S.
military win freedom for the islands.
How dangerous
was it? Very. The Spanish had learned a spy was on board Whitney’s ship. He had
only moments to come up with a plan. He quickly put on grubby clothes and
blackened his face and arms with soot. Henry then went to the boiler room.
When the
Spanish soldiers entered, all they saw was another sailor shoveling coal. In
that way, the creative man avoided death--or something worse.
World War II (The Great Raid at
Cabanatuan, the Philippines—January 30, 1945)
Five hundred
Allied soldiers and civilians were held in this Japanese prisoner-of-war camp
at the time. Many of them were going blind and deaf from disease, torture, and
malnourishment.
How dangerous
was it? Very. The camp was:
- 30 miles behind Japanese lines
- Heavily guarded
- Bordered by acres of flat rice paddies (fields)
The soldiers
and Filipino guerrillas had to determine a way to distract the guards while
they entered the facility. They chose to storm the prison under cover of
darkness. The allies also asked to have a P-61 Black Widow--the biggest,
baddest aircraft in the fleet--to fly over the camp as they crossed the fields.
Ummm. It
worked. The guards looked up at the aircraft. Their attention was diverted. The
rescuers gained access to the camp and freed the prisoners.
My Conclusion
“Faith is taking the first step even
when you don’t see the whole staircase.”—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from Brainyquotes.com
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“Faith is the bird that feels the
light when the dawn is still dark.”-- Rabindranath Tagore, from Brainyquotes.com
Related Posts
When did you last step out in faith?
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