PDF Summary:Faith Still Moves Mountains, by Harris Faulkner

In our modern, more secular world, it can be easy to lose faith in the power of God. Fewer people than ever are religious, the world seems chaotic and without purpose, and for many people, God seems to remain silent. Despite this, journalist and television host Harris Faulkner knows God is watching out for everyone and throughout her life has seen how his power impacts people’s lives.

In Faith Still Moves Mountains, she shares real-life stories about how God responds to prayer and faith, directly and indirectly helping those in need. Our guide will cover the main themes of these stories and how God and faith can impact people’s lives in miraculous ways. Through our commentary, we’ll offer additional advice and perspectives from other spiritual leaders on faith and the importance of religion.

(continued)...

(Shortform note: God helping people through hard times is a foundational principle of faith-based rehabilitation programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA. AA’s 12-step recovery program involves putting one’s absolute faith in God and praying for him to help them become sober. The organization explains that faith in God is important for recovery in part because it encourages humility—if you can recognize your powerlessness before God and ask him for help, it makes it easier to acknowledge that you’ve made mistakes and might need the support of others to get better.)

Questioning Faith in Hard Times

In some instances, hardship can cause faith to be a source of uncertainty instead of peace—people may wonder why God is allowing their suffering to continue, feel anger toward him, or wonder if there is a God at all. Faulkner suggests that doubt isn’t uncommon or even wrong, noting that even Jesus struggled with the same questions during his darkest moments. What matters, she argues, is persevering despite your doubts, recognizing small victories and subtle signs of God’s grace.

(Shortform note: Pastor Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life offers more detail on how you can maintain your faith during hard times. According to Warren, you must keep your struggle in perspective. Your struggles are part of God’s plan—and by enduring them, you’ll come out the other side stronger and with a more developed character. Appreciating this larger perspective instead of focusing on your suffering makes it easier to reject the idea that God is silent or not present in your life.)

In one of Faulkner’s stories, pastor Andrew Brunson was accused of spying and became a political prisoner in Turkey for years following the country’s failed 2016 coup. During his imprisonment, he endured harsh conditions and struggled with what he believed was God’s silence while he suffered. Once he was released, however, Brunson realized that struggling with faith while in prison was common and that God hadn’t actually been silent. Instead, he’d offered Brunson the strength to get through his imprisonment without giving up on God entirely.

(Shortform note: Andrew Brunson’s crisis of faith occurred in part because he believed he was falsely accused. But what about those who did commit crimes and are experiencing guilt and a disconnection from their faith? For them, it can be difficult to confess and repent before God while still facing worldly punishment. They can feel as though their confession and repentance hasn’t been heard, since God is allowing them to be punished. In response to these feelings, some clergy suggest, the guilty should focus on how they can live a moral life moving forward rather than on the punishment itself. This approach is similar to Brunson’s focus on the little positives God provides.)

God Provides Solutions

God can also ease hardship by providing solutions to people’s problems, Faulkner explains. Several of her stories describe how answered prayers either ended hardships altogether or offered people a path to solve them.

(Shortform note: While Faulkner’s stories mainly describe people praying for God to resolve their personal troubles, minister Norman Vincent Peale (The Power of Positive Thinking) says that the most effective forms of prayer also focus on thanking God and praying on behalf of others. He explains that the more you reflect on your appreciation for God and recognize how he can help others, the more your faith will increase in strength. Thanking God and praying for others also allows you to spend time dwelling on positive emotions like gratitude and compassion, improving your mood and outlook on life.)

For example, Faulkner tells the story of the “prayer warriors” of the Bible College of Wales during World War II. This small group of students and clergymen dedicated themselves to praying hours every day for the downfall of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime throughout the war. Faulkner says the power of their faith and prayer influenced several of Hitler’s errors during the war, like his decision to abandon his offensive against a devastated Britain in 1940 to invade the Soviet Union.

(Shortform note: There’s a long history of soldiers and civilians experiencing miracles and divine interventions during wartime, from great battles of Ancient Greece to the two World Wars. However, some scholars suggest that faith in God can also help nations and peoples make peace. They argue that by invoking God and religion during peace negotiations, both sides of a conflict can start from a shared background and moral framework (if they both practice the same religion). Invoking God in a peace agreement also encourages both sides to comply with it so they don’t risk his wrath.)

Part 3: God Strengthens Relationships

Finally, Faulkner shows how God and faith bring people closer together in two ways:

1. God helps communities come together.
2. God helps friends and family grow closer.

Community Relationships

Faulkner’s stories show that faith strengthens ties by encouraging people to come together as a community. In contexts like a church service, Bible study, or prayer group, people can connect over their shared faith or pray toward a common goal. In addition, faith often drives people to help others through charitable acts and other good deeds, forging new ties and building community.

(Shortform note: Some researchers argue that while God and faith can help strengthen communities, the reverse is also true—a lack of faith can cause communities to decline and pull people apart. They explain that God and religion provide a foundation for the norms and morality of a given society. Without this foundation, people will rely on their personal moral code—or lack thereof—making them more individualistic and selfish. And without the opportunity to meet and spend time with others in the community at church functions, people also don’t know each other as well and have less support in their lives.)

For example, Faulkner tells a story of a woman named Lisa Martin, whose family and friends came together to pray for her recovery when she came down with an extremely serious case of Covid-19. Lisa’s husband Jeff describes how many distant friends and family members reached out as a show of support or to offer him advice on how best to navigate the health care system. Lisa eventually recovered, in no small part because of their collective faith, prayer, and communal support.

(Shortform note: Research suggests that Lisa’s experience isn’t unique—faith and religion have played an important role in helping people through the Covid-19 pandemic, whether or not they’ve been infected. Specifically, studies show that religion may have helped people cope with the stress of the pandemic and in some cases helped mobilize people to prevent the disease from spreading further. For example, churches in the Philippines assisted in efforts to distribute food and protective equipment to the poor and homeless during the pandemic.)

Personal Relationships

Faulkner also tells stories of how faith in God can strengthen personal ties, allowing family and friends to grow closer. Several of her stories detail friends, family, and neighbors coming together to pray for a specific outcome—someone overcoming their intense depression, for example—and supporting one another, getting closer in the process. Christian faith also teaches the power and importance of forgiveness. This can help people forgive friends and family who harmed them in the past, allowing them to grow close once again.

(Shortform note: Rick Warren (The Purpose Driven Life) explains in more detail how faith helps you grow closer with family and friends. He suggests that by helping one another process spiritual questions, concerns, and doubts—in a Bible study or prayer group, for example—you practice being honest, supportive, and trusting. These qualities then transfer to your relationships more broadly, allowing you to grow closer or have an easier time forgiving one another.)

For example, Faulkner tells the story of Nancy, who was abused by her alcoholic mother as a child. Finding Jesus and learning about God’s universal love helped Nancy recover from her traumatic past. Then, Nancy was able to recognize that her mother’s own trauma had influenced her behavior. Nancy forgave her mother, praying she would also discover God’s love and be healed. Many years later, Nancy’s mother did exactly that.

(Shortform note: Religious authors and scholars explain that the Christian conception of forgiveness isn’t the same as letting those who have hurt you off the hook or reconciling with them. Forgiveness means no longer holding anger, bitterness, or vengeful desires toward them. However, you can get rid of these negative emotions while still believing that whatever behavior hurt you was wrong and taking steps to make sure you aren’t hurt again. And while we often reconcile with the people we forgive, this isn’t a necessary part of forgiveness—if someone hurts you too much or refuses to apologize for their behavior, you can forgive them while never growing close with them again.)