Faith Still Moves Mountains Summary

Prayer is how we reach out to God – not just for ourselves, but also for the people we love and the causes we cherish.

1. The Transformative Power of Prayer in Difficult Times

Faith is not just about belief; it's about perseverance, especially in tough times. Through the story of Joseph in Genesis, we see how prayer sustained him during his years of imprisonment and isolation. This Biblical narrative offers a universal lesson – when we feel abandoned, prayer acts as a bridge to hope.

Harris Faulkner shares Tina Zahn’s personal experience with postpartum depression to highlight the parallels between Joseph's despair and modern-day struggles. Tina's depression pushed her to the brink, but it was the prayers of her loved ones and their unwavering care that saved her. Even when she thought she was alone, those prayers connected her to a divine intervention that changed her path.

At the core, this story underscores an important message: prayers for others are an expression of love and solidarity. They connect human compassion with God's will, creating opportunities for healing and redemption.

Examples

• Joseph’s long years of isolation and prayer led to his eventual redemption.
• Tina’s miraculous rescue by State Trooper Les Boldt after her suicidal jump.
• The prayers of Tina’s family and friends sustained her and gave her strength to find faith again.

2. Faith Endures When Darkness Overwhelms

Faith often feels distant in moments of despair, yet those are the times when it grows most powerful. Depression and hopelessness mimic an unrelenting darkness, like an underground cell. Faulkner suggests that prayer in these moments isn’t just a wish but a form of resilience.

Tina Zahn’s battle with postpartum depression reveals this lesson vividly. Her feelings of emptiness prompted her to attempt suicide, but prayer “kept the circuit open” even when she could no longer connect to hope. Despite her pain, she realized afterward that she was never truly alone.

Through examples like Tina’s, Faulkner emphasizes that trusting in divine guidance brings unexpected moments of clarity and strength. It also builds the robust knowledge that no one – no matter how lost they feel – is forgotten.

Examples

• Joseph finding some semblance of hope through prayer during his lowest points.
• Tina hearing her mother’s alert words that ultimately brought help.
• The feeling of divine intervention during Tina’s suspended moment before being rescued.

3. God Responds Through Acts of Human Courage

While we wait for answers to our prayers, God often chooses to work through others. This can take the form of extraordinary courage, like the actions of State Trooper Les Boldt risking his life to save a stranger.

Courage intertwines with divine timing. Trooper Boldt’s immediate decision, despite protocol, to leap into action wasn’t mere instinct; it was exactly what Tina needed at precisely the right time. Faulkner highlights this to remind readers that the acts of others can embody God’s presence.

The alignment of people’s choices, timing, and prayer responses demonstrates that human bravery and divine will are not separate but interconnected. One manifests the other.

Examples

• Officer Boldt defying protocol to grab Tina in her moment of crisis.
• Support from backup officers as they complete the life-saving rescue.
• Tina’s own mother understanding the gravity of her words about the bridge in time to call for help.

4. Belief is an Active Practice, Not Just a Passive Thought

General Patton’s conversation with Chaplain James O’Neill stresses how belief needs to be enforced through action. The notion of prayer being deeply connected to human initiative is a recurring theme in the book.

Patton recognized the importance of planning and hard work in military operations. But failure underscored that something larger was at play – an element that success could not be reached without: earnest prayer.

This active belief showed its remarkable power when the rain lifted and challenges once considered insurmountable were suddenly eased, paving the way for victory.

Examples

• Patton insisting the Third Army soldiers engage in daily prayer.
• The creation and distribution of over 250,000 prayer cards to encourage collective faith.
• The unexpected break in the weather that allowed Patton’s forces to mobilize.

5. The Enabling Power of a Collective Call to God

When groups unite in prayer, their combined faith generates a powerful force for change. In the Battle of the Bulge, that collective power seemed to defy the odds, shifting the course of one of World War II's most decisive battles.

Faulkner relays how Patton inspired every troop of the Third Army to participate in this collective effort. Their faith was united through daily prayers, adding what he called the “human factor” to their strategies.

By creating unity through prayer, Patton demonstrated that it can function as a shared anchor of hope and resilience – even for armies facing overwhelming odds.

Examples

• The soldiers following along with the prayer written by Chaplain O’Neill.
• Citizens on the home front praying for their loved ones in the army.
• The eventual change in weather conditions fulfilling the prayer’s objective.

6. Miracles Can Manifest Through Unlikely Channels

Faulkner presents stories that demonstrate how miracles don’t always come in expected forms. Whether it’s an unseen hand during a leap or sudden changes in weather, miracles often align with bold human choices.

The rain stopping in December 1944 was a perfect example. For Patton and his troops waiting to advance, the break in the weather was divine coordination with their own perseverance and faith.

These unexpected alignments give people renewed faith in God’s ability to reveal himself in times of need, even through mechanisms we struggle to understand.

Examples

• O’Neill’s improvised prayer card turning into a spiritual rallying cry.
• Clear skies rewarding the soldiers’ faith-filled efforts.
• The balance of small decisions aligning to create Tina’s rescue.

7. Prayer is More than Ritual – It is Power

One lesson often overlooked is that prayer is not confined to ritual or formal spaces. Patton illustrates this by reframing prayer as a flow of power that anyone can access, anywhere.

This demystification helped his soldiers find strength in prayers despite being in soaked tents or muddy battlefields. By making prayer a personal experience rather than a formal one, he encouraged them to embrace it as an unfailing tool.

Faulkner emphasizes this democratization of prayer, making it more about authentic connection and less about where or how it’s done.

Examples

• Patton’s call for prayer to be reinterpreted as an everyday necessity.
• Soldiers taking individual moments to reflect during their downtime.
• Prayer evolving from formal practice to personal empowerment.

8. Redemption Often Follows the Storm

After moments of despair often come profound transformations. Tina emerged from her ordeal as not just a survivor but someone who had reclaimed her faith and purpose.

Faulkner describes how Tina’s ordeal made her an advocate for mental health awareness. Similarly, Patton demonstrated remarkable clarity once the storm passed and his forces pressed into victory.

Both stories affirm that redemption is possible when faith persists long enough to see trials through to the end.

Examples

• Tina publishing books and becoming a church leader.
• The Third Army not only surviving the battle but emerging victorious.
• Patton attributing success directly to prayer instead of mere tactical superiority.

9. God’s Presence is Constant, Even When Unseen

One of Faulkner’s recurring themes is how God’s presence surrounds us – quietly but continually. Stories like Tina’s rescue or Patton’s victories demonstrate this constant involvement in our lives.

We may not always notice it, and sometimes it takes hindsight to recognize divine intervention. But whether we’re praying for others or being upheld by others’ prayers, that presence never wavers.

Faith, therefore, becomes both the anchor and the amplifier of life’s unseen miracles.

Examples

• Tina realizing God supported her throughout even when she felt abandoned.
• The inexplicable confluence of circumstances leading to her rescue.
• O’Neill creating the prayer card “on a whim,” yet striking precise resonance.

Takeaways

1. When feeling stuck, begin with a simple prayer to restart that connection to faith.
2. Never hesitate to pray for others – your care might be the miracle they need.
3. Incorporate gratitude for the unseen, recognizing divine interventions in hindsight.