Miracles come when we trust God to do the impossible

In the days before modern supermarkets most Americans lived on farms, and even those who lived in towns often had a garden. Preserving food was not a hobby — it was a matter of survival. Mason and Ball were the two best known names when it came to canning food, but neither had been able to make a self-sealing lid that worked well.

Alexander Kerr invented one, but he faced the challenge of finding the capital to mass produce his invention. In 1903 he and John Giles started a company they hoped would revolutionize canning. A year later they patented a threaded ring to hold the lid down during canning… that design is still used today.

Kerr mortgaged his home and borrowed heavily to finance the new factory. Despite the financial pressure, Kerr, who had become a Christian after hearing a sermon by D. L. Moody, was committed to giving 10 percent of his meager income to God.

His commitment was to be severely tested. The young company was producing fruit jars in San Francisco on April 18, 1906, when the city was devastated by a massive earthquake which started terrible fires. The two would kill 3,000 people and destroy 80 percent of the city. Kerr’s friends told him, “You are a ruined man!” He refused to believe it saying he was confident his Heavenly Father would protect him because he was honoring God with his business. He wired San Francisco to find out if his factory had survived. He received this reply, “Factory in the heart of the fire. Undoubtedly destroyed. Heat so intense will be unable to find out anything for several days.”

Nearly a week later he received a second wire which read, “Factory miraculously saved.” The suggestion of a miracle was not an exaggeration. Everything for a mile and a half on all sides of the factory burned. Despite the building being made completely of wood, the fire scorched the fence around the property but did nothing more. Not only was the building undamaged, but not even one of the thousands of jars inside was cracked by either the earthquake or devastating fires.

Does what happened to Kerr prove what some prominent television preachers suggest, that if you give generously and follow God you will never have problems? No! Jesus said God, “…gives his sunlight to the evil and the good and he sends rain on the just and the unjust.” (Mark 10:45, NLT) However, Jesus also said, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full — pressed down, shaken together to make room for more…” (Luke 6:38, NLT)

When we put our faith in him, God often blesses us in difficult situations. I am not suggesting things always turn out the way we want. However, as Kerr demonstrates, we sometimes get to witness a miracle when we trust God with our impossible challenges.

(If you enjoyed this story please check out The One Year Book of Amazing Stories by Robert Petterson)

Tim Richards grew up in Fairdealing. He currently serves as a pastor at Concord Church in South County St. Louis.