Have Faith

818 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Theme of peace like a river

Has anyone ever told you to, “Just have faith?” This is what Leif Enger, the author of the novel Peace Like a River wants readers to know after reading this powerful story. Having faith is trusting God to a certain outcome when it is utterly ridiculous and illogical. Faithful people believe in something that they cannot comprehend. In Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, the idea that the author wants us to know that we should have our hearts open to God and his great works, and that we should have faith is demonstrated thorough the messages that Enger exhibits through these miracles — that God is ever-present, that we should recognize God and trust in his doings, and that miracles are a way for God to show Himself to us.

God is constantly watching over us, and guiding us throughout our lives. There are signs of this message even early on in the book. During the event of Swede’s kidnapping, Jeremiah was unconscious, but suddenly wakes up to a notion that something is not right. “He [sat] upright, and his eye [were] wide and troubled, and ‘Son,’ he [said], we have to leave,” and he was right. He could not have just got that feeling out of nowhere. God was watching over him and Swede and trying to keep them safe. Then, later on, when the family finally runs out of gas, after they have gone a long time with virtually no gas, they happened to come to stop at Roxanna’s, who became a loving and vital addition to their family. In addition to the phenomenon that they went so long without gas, when they run out they are right next to someone who can help them. This is more than coincidence. God was helping the family through the journey and making sure that they were okay. Jeremiah also personally experienced being led by God, who was th...

... middle of paper ...

...rough events such as miracles. The more He tries to communicate with us through these events, the more He hopes that we will discover him in our lives.

The theme that Leif Enger wanted the readers to take away after reading this novel is that we should have faith in God. Through the extraordinary situations described in the book, we can learn that God is always there in our lives to pave a path for us, we need to have confidence in God to see him in our everyday life, and that we can see God through miracles and other events that happen in our life. Even when you are going through really bad moments always remember that there is a reason for that and there will always be good moments afterwards. This is as true as telling someone that tomorrow the sun will rise again. No matter what you are living at this moment if you have faith you will find a solution.

Show More
Related

  • A Comparison of Nihilistic and Christian Archetypes in Beowulf and John Gardner's Grendel

    2157 Words  | 5 Pages

    ...fact, it is the saving grace of mankind: the hope that God will save society and establish harmony and justice. The modern story takes the opposite view; it shows what happens when hope is lost, when society has nowhere to turn: it is a more pessimistic, more complicated view of humanity’s progress.

    Read More

  • Hardships in Copper Sun By Sharon Draper

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...o the conclusion of the theme. I strongly think that the message the author Sharon Draper was trying to explain to the readers is that even though we all fall that we also must learn to get back up. Amari had given me inspiration because even thought she went through some of the worst problems that any girl her age can experience Amari with the help of everyone around her was able to use her backbone to get her back up and lift her head up high to accept what future awaited her. The people around her helped shape who she will be one day and I can relate this to my life in which I choose to follow or not follow the ideas of society to help shape my future life into a better one than it is right now. And I have also learned that even through the toughest times to always remember that I am not alone, that I have my experiences and hopes to guide me through the journey.

    Read More

  • Essay on Fate in Weatherhead’s The Will of God

    1378 Words  | 3 Pages

    As I continued to chat with my pastor that day, I really sensed the hurt in his eyes – the anger that comes from an unsolvable injustice, the tiredness of a problem. “What’s wrong?” I finally asked, “Having a bad day?”  Sensing that I was truly concerned, he let the truth be told.  “I talked with a woman today whose baby died suddenly of unknown causes. As we worked through her grief, she talked about how numerous friends and family, even a religious leader had patted her on the back, shook their heads and said, ‘It was God’s will.’ I find few things worse to say to a grieving parent.  Saying nothing at all would be of more help.”  It was obvious from our conversation that he had an understanding greater than I about God’s will, and his insight created in me a curiosity and desire to learn more.

    Read More

  • Faith In A Lesson Before Dying

    786 Words  | 2 Pages

    For as long as humans have existed, they have turned to beings above them and around them for guidance. The Egyptians, the Romans, and the Greeks all had intricate mythology surrounding the way the world works. Faith is a prominent theme in A Lesson Before Dying, a book by Ernest J. Gaines. In the story, Jefferson was a young black man who was sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit. Grant was a man who got out of the town he grew up in and got a higher education before moving back. At Jefferson's godmother's request, he helped Jefferson overcome the objectification and stigma he faced. Over the course of the book, Grant's faith in change, children, and Jefferson evolved and helped him understand and overcome problems in his life.

    Read More

  • Excuses in In the Shadow of Plenty by George Grant

    473 Words  | 1 Pages

    I cannot exactly say what happened, as a theme, in this book because the theme keeps changing, but what I think the author was trying to do was simplify the important facts in the bible so people who don’t understand all of the “thee’s” and “thou’s” will be able to have a better understanding of what it has to offer. In chapter ten, there’s a section called “change the world.” One thing in this section that stuck out in my mind was this, “Charity is like a lever. You can move a large heavy abject with a lever. But you also need a fulcrum. That’s the gospel. The foundation. You need them both. With both, you can move the hearts of men, If the Holy Spirit blesses your efforts. You can move even the world. You can usher in peace that surpasses all understanding.” Faith is the evidence of things unseen. (Hebrews 11:1) this verse was used in a section called “faith and victory.” It brings to mind words said by a man named Billy Grahm. He said, “Have you ever seen God? I’ve never seen the wind. I see the effects of the wind but I’ve never seen the wind.” Our faith is in a constant battle with the world. Neither winning nor losing. Some may fall, others may become martyrs but we are constantly getting “reinforcements” from the side we’re fighting against. They are the people who realize that our faith in God is stronger than anything the world can throw at us.

    Read More

  • Scrooge's Transformation in Dickens' A Christmas Carol

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    The theme of this novel is to look at the good you do in life and how it carries over after your death. The moral of the book is; "People can make changes in their lives whenever they really want to, even right up to the end."

    Read More

  • charles Kuralt

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    I believe that that the moral of the story is that nothing in this world is impossible anything can happen at any given time. Like he said in this chapter how could people be starving in the richest nation in the world. And every one doubted Plaisted but look what happen he proved every body wrong. When you put you mind to it anything is possible.

    Read More

  • Supernatural or Simply Science? New Paradigms in the Study of Miracles

    2048 Words  | 5 Pages

    As we know, the Lord provided his people with many miracles throughout the Old Testament. These miracles date back to Moses, where God granted his people the ability to perform miracles and also interact with them. By interact, this means things like the parting of the Red Sea, or the tunnel of fire that allowed the Israelites to travel safely through the ni...

    Read More

  • Hopelessness In Heart Is A Lonely Hunter

    1494 Words  | 3 Pages

    This story had no fluff. It had no happy ending. It was in no way uplifting. It was a book about hopelessness, and how tragic life can be. None of the characters find happiness. No one is rescued from their misery. What makes this book powerful is that sometimes that is the way life is. Sometimes there is no happy ending, and sometimes there is no hope. It would be nice if that were not true, but it is. And this book shows the gritty side of life, the sad reality. Sometimes things do not work out the way we would like them to, and sometimes there is nothing we can do about it. As depressing as this may be as a theme, it is important to realize that it is true. While optimism is usually admirable, too much may be ignorant. Hopelessness exists. It can certainly be seen in real life, and it can certainly be seen in this book.

    Read More

  • Showing Faith Dbq

    290 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Matthew, the two blind men and the centurion step out in faith by asking Jesus to heal. This shows how faith leads to action. In the story of the blind men, faith leads to action when two blind men shout out to Jesus. The crowd around them rebuked them, and said for them to be quiet. They heard the people, and ignored them yelling louder for Jesus. They had faith that Jesus could hear them and that he would come to them. Jesus came over to them, and asked what they needed him to do. “we want our sight,” they said. Jesus touched their eyes and healed their vision.(Doc. 1) This shows how faith lead to action because the men had faith that Jesus would hear their calls, he did and healed their eyes.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Faith By Cesar Chavez

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    The book reveal that when you have faith in something and you exercising the faith anything can be possible. Having faith is a unique feeling that not everyone has experienced. There are many ways to be connected with god and one is to embrace our differences that we have with our humans being. As we get spiritually engaging with god and with our self being, we change the way we act and think about our actions and admit our sins.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay:The Shawshank Redemtion

    932 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ng the underlying theme that drives the story and the movie, propels the reader and viewer to rekindle the desire to hope above all else because hope is all one has in devastating as well as dire needs. Hope overcomes despair, permits others to see your “inner light” to develop integrity which connects with honesty and trust. Hope is the inspiration to continue to live regardless of the circumstances. Red may have narrated; “Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.” But, Andy Dufresne states it best: “Get busy living, or get busy dying.”

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    The themes present throughout the sermon are interconnected and intertwined to create a more convincing sermon. Edwards links the themes of God’s grace and strength with the theme of inevitable death to evoke fear in the audience. He tells the audience that only God’s grace can save believers, showing that death is inevitable. These themes are seen throughout the sermon to evoke fear and keep the audience attentive to his sermon. By being connected, the themes create a more persuasive piece of work, because they are able to link together throughout the sermon so that Edwards remains on topic and the audience continues to listen.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of The Prayer Life

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    It has the tendency to reveal the relationship for a master and servant as well as friend to friend fellowship. The story that are told are real and convincing enough to readers of the book, whether they are a believer or nonbeliever of the bible. It really hit home describing the emotion and frustration one would feel in many various crises in life. After reading further in the book it will open your eyes to think about maybe something not going right for me would be because that I am not doing the right thing or making the right connection in the process. The mere fact of becoming a3are of knowing that someone does care and have a deep concern very heart felt loving tendency to want to help us out and find a solution to our problems by not directly interfering into our lives like a genie to wave a magic wand for to make the problem go away. We must face all our obstacles with confidence knowing the end will be victorious in the process. This the hope that a loving father will leave for his children to have and take notice of carrying on in the journey to righteousness. He has assure us that we will not be alone in the situation or will us all alone in the journey.

    Read More

  • Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson: Character Analysis

    482 Words  | 1 Pages

    The theme developed in this book is so important. Even if the event that happens to you isn’t to the same extent as what happened to Melinda, it’s still so important to reach out and ask for help. I think that the events in this book could easily happen to someone and it is such a simple book to relate too. So many people go throughout their days thinking that they are alone and have no one to go too, but that’s so wrong and this book shows that there are some situations you don’t have to handle on your

    Read More

More about Have Faith

Open Document