The Lost Sheep

A Dream For Miracles by Ruth Reid is book three in the Amish Wonders series but can be read as a stand-alone.

There is a season for everything but sometimes only when looking back does life make sense. Ruth Reid shows how important it is to listen to God and to obey His leadings. Whatever hardship one is going through, God walks alongside us.

The novel demonstrates the power of dreams. Sometimes God speaks to us in our dreams and it is vital that we recognise His voice. The dreams may only make sense when viewed backwards. This reminds the reader that God spoke to Joseph in his dreams, as told in Genesis.

Young widow of eighteen months Mattie has been trying to pretend that everything is ok to her Amish community. In her grief, Mattie has lost sight of God and constantly asks if He is there. God has never left Mattie but her immersion in her grief has hidden Him.

Faith in God is a huge theme within the novel. Mattie has faith in God even though she is struggling. However she is under the misapprehension that faith in God should prevent the bad things from happening. Mattie thinks that her faith must be too small if bad stuff is happening, but that is just life. As the Bible says one only needs faith the size of a mustard seed in order to tell a mountain to move.

Within the novel there is the motif of a little lamb failing to thrive, who is lovingly cared for by Mattie. The lamb is hand reared and even bought into the kitchen to be looked after. This reminds the reader of how God looks after us. He has His eye on each and every one of us, and He nourishes us with His love. We are His flock of sheep and He will notice any of us who are failing to thrive.

Bo who works for Children’s Services believes in God and the power of prayer. His path crosses Mattie’s and he helps her to see that where two or three are gathered in prayer, the Lord is there too. Prayer is powerful. God hears our prayers and He always answers, just not always in the way we want.

The novel deals with the tough subject of separating a mother from her children. It explores the foster system. It shows the frustration of the innocent battling against a system that believes the worst of them.

There is a huge chasm between the Amish and Englischer way of life. The Englischer’s do not always understand or respect the Amish and are viewed with suspicion.

The novel explores the bond between a mother and her children. The reader sees it with Mattie and her two young children, and also with Bo and his mother. A mother’s bond of love is seen to be very powerful.

Ruth Reid drew some absolutely delightful characters. Mattie was easy to empathise with as she loved her children unconditionally. Bo, with his heart for the lost and hurting was a worthy main male character. The small children bought out the mothering instinct in me and I could empathise when one of the character’s was diagnosed with ITP, as I had been there when our son was diagnosed with that.  The characters were all very likeable.

I absolutely loved A Dream For Miracles. It is the first book that I have read by Ruth Reid but I shall be hunting out more. I greedily devoured the book in just two sessions. Give yourself a treat and escape to a world where the Amish and Englisch worlds collide.

I received this book for free in exchange for a fair and honest review.  No monetary compensation was received and all views expressed are my own.

JULIA WILSON

 

Blog tour A Dream For Miracles on Litfuse

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