While 2023 had its fair share of challenges and struggles, it was also a year of revival and hope.
In the good times and bad, followers of Christ leaned on their faith, leading to some pretty remarkable news stories that are worth remembering.
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1. #PrayforDamar movement spurs NFL player’s miraculous recovery
When Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field after his heart stopped during a game in January, it sent immediate shockwaves through the NFL community and fans who watched in disbelief as trainers worked desperately to revive him. Players and coaches were seen immediately taking a knee, and calls for prayer rang out across social media. The matter was so urgent that former NFL quarterback-turned-ESPN commentator Dan Orlovsky stopped what he was doing and prayed live on the air.
“Maybe this is not the right thing to do,” Mr. Orlovsky said before praying. “It’s just on my heart that I want to pray for Damar Hamlin right now.”
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The movement to #PrayforDamar spread like wildfire in the following days and peaked just over a week later when he was discharged from the hospital after making a miraculous recovery. Shortly after, a survey from Summit.org and McLaughlin and Associates found 67% of American voters now affirmed that: “Public calls for prayer after a national tragedy are effective.”
2. Devastating Maui fire spares historic church, giving community hope
In August, a deadly wildfire spread across parts of the Hawaiian island of Maui, destroying Lahaina, killing more than 100 people, and displacing thousands. But amid the charred rubble stood a 175-year-old church, the historic Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, untouched by the blaze.
Residents called it “a miracle” and symbol of hope for the community that was deeply hurting. Indeed, Maria Lanakila — meaning Our Lady of Victory — inspired other church communities in the area to remember their calling and refuse to give in to fear and helplessness.
“The Church, and more specifically, our church at Harvest Kumulani Chapel has the mission to go and preach the Gospel like never before,” Greg Laurie, head pastor of Harvest Churches, said in an interview. “As Christians, we look to God in the middle of our pain, because He can heal wounds, mend broken hearts, and comfort us when all else fails. And through Jesus, and the sacrifice He made on the cross, we have access to that loving God. That is the message we are proclaiming on West Maui.”
3. ’Look for the helpers’: Israel, Covenant School and Maine mass shooting
Everyone loves a good superhero movie. But oftentimes, the real heroes are everyday men and women in our own backyards who are willing to sacrifice everything to help others. This year, there were sadly many opportunities for heroes to shine. From the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel to the Covenant School shooting and Maine mass shooting, we saw so many people who gave their lives to help their fellow man.
“You take him down, whatever you got to do, you save the others and in my son’s case he lost his life trying to do it,” said the father of one of the Maine mass shooting victims. “I don’t know if he saved any, I just know he tried and I know in my heart that’s exactly what he would do.”
And while we hate to see tragedies like this occur, we can still appreciate the opportunity to “look for the helpers” as Mr. Rogers famously said, and remember the good in the world in the face of such unmitigated evil.
4. High-profile names in Hollywood boldly profess Jesus as Lord and Savior
While Hollywood has always had a small group of Christians amongst its ranks, this year saw the addition of some high-profile names boldly professing Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
In October, tattoo artist and television personality Kat Von D made headlines after posting a video montage of herself getting baptized more than a year after renouncing witchcraft and the macabre. She called it a “public demonstration of where I stand with my faith,” noting that she was “not ashamed.”
Then in November, actor and comedian Rob Schneider revealed that he had converted to Catholicism. He first shared the news with his followers on social media, encouraging people to be quick to forgive others, calling it the “gift that we give ourselves because it frees,” and adding that “Christ intends for all of us to be free.”
Just a month later, rapper and reggaeton star Daddy Yankee announced that he was retiring from music to devote his life to Christianity. He announced the final show of his La Meta tour saying, “living a life of success is not the same as living a life with purpose… I am not ashamed to tell the whole world that Jesus lives in me and that I will live for Him.”
5. Life imitates art on the set of the “Jesus Revolution” film as 4,500 baptized
In the extraordinary box office success of the “Jesus Revolution” film, which told the true story of the Jesus movement in the late 1960s and 1970s, the movie was also winning hearts for Jesus. While filming the pivotal baptism scene on location at Pirates Cove in Newport Beach, evangelist Greg Laurie, who was baptized in that very location nearly 50 years ago, revealed that 4,500 people were baptized for real! And according to Laurie, it couldn’t have come at a better time.
“The problem is, America has forgotten about God. Even more, we have gone out of our way to push God out of every aspect of our lives. We need God’s help,” Mr. Laurie said. “My belief about the future of our nation is that we have two choices before us: one is judgment and the other is revival. If we do not have revival, then judgment is inevitable.”
“I hope and pray for at least one more nationwide spiritual awakening in our nation,” he added. “We can change this nation for the better, one person at a time, and one soul at a time. Yes, it’s true that many have forgotten God. But He has not forgotten us.”
6. Asbury Revival unites more than 200,000 in 24/7 prayer service lasting 16 days
The mass baptism wasn’t the only revival this year after an altar call during a regular chapel service at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky transformed into a multi-day revival that didn’t end for more than two weeks.
More than 200,000 people joined in, traveling to Willmore from all over the country, and even more followed along online via live stream. There was no desire for publicity or the draw of a famous speaker or Christian band. Instead, thousands of people united simply to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit. And it didn’t stop at Asbury. The massive resurgence spread to Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, with reports of similar events breaking out on other campuses and among kids as young as middle school.
“The Holy Spirit chose to just fall down and touch our hearts,” Alexandra Presta, a senior at Asbury University, said. “This is purely God moving and keeping people here and bringing more [who are] continuing to cross state lines and even across the country now. It’s absolutely insane.
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Marissa Mayer is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her work has been featured in Christian Post, The Daily Signal, and Intellectual Takeout. Mayer has a B.A. in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Arizona State University.
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