Almost a millennium ago, supernatural powers prompted men to build a church in an area called Selvogur. They called the church Strandarkirkja. It became known as the miracle church because people traveled from all over the world, pouring out their heart’s desires in its small interior. They promised money, gold, and precious things in return for an answer to their prayers. Such was their belief in the power of prayer.
Without redemption
In the beginning, the Selvogur community didn’t have a church. This was unusual as most farm communities in Iceland had one. Not having a place of worship weighed heavy on the residents. A church wasn’t just a place where they gathered together to worship. Their religious belief demanded it. If someone suddenly fell ill, they had to travel to the neighboring parsonage to get help from a priest. This meant that many of the Selvogur residents died without confessing their sins or receiving the priest’s blessings.
This was devastating. If they wanted a Christian burial for their loved ones, it could take weeks before a priest would arrive to sanctify the burial ground. The Selvogur community had wanted a church for decades but endured rejection each time they asked for one. It would cost too much, they said. How could they put a price tag on their salvation? The residents so desperately wanted a priest as their guide, friend, and protector. Only then could they stop worrying. Instead of dying with their sins, they would receive grace.
They turned their thoughts toward the heavens and begged the Mother of God (Mary) to have mercy on them. They said their prayers with pure faith and a burning desire for everlasting salvation. At first, with a strong belief in the power of prayer, they were certain God would answer them. However, as time passed and nothing happened, the doubt kicked in and they wondered if they would ever get a church.
Too vain for God
There must be a reason for their unanswered prayers. Some of the Biblical stories rested on their minds. Could it be that God rejected their prayers because of vanity or wrongful desires? Did the power of prayer not apply to the merry? This weighed heavily on their hearts. They loved their farmlands very much and felt fortunate to live in such a prosperous area.
Ancient Iceland looked different from today; the forested land was green and fertile. The farmers’ sheep wandered and graced freely. In fact, their animals ran wild all winter, with a few exceptional harsh winters. The ocean was rich in food and nutrition, and the sky was full of birds. It truly was a paradise on earth. Some even called it Sæluvogur (Happy Cove) instead of Selvogur (Seal Cove). Did they appreciate their worldly things more than spiritual ones and therefore upset their God? Had they been thinking more about the Happy Cove than the heavenly paradise?
The king´s men
A few Icelanders spent some time in Norway and were heading back to Iceland. They were all young and strong men. Some had worked in the king’s court and enjoyed its benefits. The king paid them generously and sent them off on their journey carrying gifts. He gifted them with chopped wood to bring to Skálholt to build a cathedral.
Excited to live the good life in Iceland, they jumped on board their ship ready to meet their much longed-for sweethearts. The men knew that with their wealth and noble lineage, the women would line up to be with them. There was so much to live for. All the great things in life were on their horizon. No need for the power of prayer when you have money and prestige.
When all is lost
The young men hadn’t sailed long when the weather grew dark and stormy. Being as strong as they were and with the determination to enjoy the good life, they fought with all their might to keep the ship afloat. It was a struggle to stay above water in the terrible storm and they quickly realized they were losing the fight.
With nowhere else to turn, they looked up towards the sky. The ship’s captain had heard that St. Thomas of Canterbury had helped many people in peril, so he called out to him for help. They waited for the weather to calm, but it never did. It seemed like they needed the power of prayer after all. The captain soon realized that his prayer wasn’t working, their lives were still in peril. The ship’s crew and the captain turned to every saint they could think of. Each one of them prayed for their lives and to be guided safely to land. Even if their prayers were unheard, they were ready to meet their maker, but not without a fight. They prepared to die like true Viking warriors.
Unanswered prayers
The conditions kept getting worse and the realization of ending up at the bottom of the ocean was the only one matching reality. They felt completely helpless. Turning to the power of prayer, the captain fell to his knees again and shouted out to the Holy Mother of God, Mary:
“We want life and we are not ready to enter death’s door. Holy Mother of God, have mercy on us and give us life. We promise to praise your holy name and our sweethearts will pay you dearly and give gifts to the church“.
As his voice drowned in the roaring waves and the thunderous wind, he took a deep breath. It was hard shouting into the storm. This all seemed so unfair, but he wasn’t ready to give up just yet and continued shouting while gasping for air:
“Holy Mother of God, I am ready to offer the church at home new regalia and a new altar tablet. Both of them will be of great workmanship to equal their value. As you know, the regalia is old and worn out and the altar tablet so worn out that the image of the Holy Mother of God doesn’t show its full potential.“
The offering
The captain was certain that the Holy Mother of God would be pleased. But the waves just got larger and stronger. The large frothy waves seemed to play catch with the ship. Maybe the power of prayer was working against them and the Holy Mother of God didn’t accept his offer. For the last time, he shouted words of desperation:
“Holy Mother of God, I will give the church half of my belongings and sanctify it in your name. It would be of substantial support for the church. All that money will grant many souls repentance and entrance into the Holy Place.“
Now the captain stood up. He didn’t feel he had to be ashamed of such an offering. His offer would save many souls. But the storm wasn’t calming down and the frothy white waves rose high in the air. Chills went down his spine. He stood there fearing the Lord and the saints.
When all hope is lost
Now the captain stood up. He didn’t feel he had to be ashamed of such an offering. His offer would save many souls. But the storm wasn’t calming down and the frothy white waves rose high in the air. Chills went down his spine. He stood there fearing the Lord and the saints.
By now he had completely lost control of the ship and they were at the mercy of the ocean. It was only a matter of time now, the moment had come. The captain looked over at his crew. Utterly exhausted the sailors barely clung to life. He looked up at the dark coal sky for the last time. Somewhere behind the darkness, he knew there was help to find. He was sure of it. Yet again, he put all his faith in the power of prayer and called out to all the saints he could think of, except St. Nicholas, the Saint of the Sea.
The saint of ships and sailors
He couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of him earlier. He stretched out his arm in a fist as if he was cursing the sky, shouting out to God and begging him to prove his existence. If God let them die, he was merciless and if St. Nicholas would not save them, he was a useless protector of the sea navigators. What is the purpose of the power of prayer if they couldn’t be saved?
After a moment, the captain and his crew looked back up into the sky and saw the clouds separate. Far into the distance, they saw a glimmer of light coming closer and closer. As they squinted towards the light they saw grand pillars rising from the ocean that reached all the way up into the sky.
The pillars were clear and twinkled in the most beautiful light. Between the pillars, a large and beautiful church appeared. The surrounding light was brighter than any sunlight they had ever seen. Light beams shimmered as far as eyes could see. The men watched in awe.
At first, the captain thought it was merely a dying man's delirium. But he was still very much alive and standing upright.
The power of prayer
Then finally the answer came, the power of prayer worked. Overwhelmed, he reached both hands up into the sky to worship. Not that Mary didn’t want to help them, he had called on the wrong saint all along. Each saint had a specific calling or task and it was St. Nicholas’ calling to watch over the sea. It wasn’t proper for the other saints to overstep their boundaries. Now when he had called out to the right saint, the storm subsided, the sea calmed and the sky opened.
The stars twinkled behind the clouds. The clouds kept moving away until they were completely out of sight. The sky was blue and beautiful. The warm, soft air felt more like an early spring morning than a fall morning. It was a perfect day for sailing as St. Nicholas Steered the ship safely towards land. He was leading them to the very spot they should build a church. Through the power of prayer, St. Nicholas had helped them. The captain vowed to keep his promise as well.
Guided by an angel
The sailors saw land ahead. The countryside was beautiful. In the east, there was a tree-covered heath called Heiðin. The captain wondered if it was here they should build the church. This was a dangerous place to sail towards land and the sailors were about to turn the ship around when they saw a shining white spirit-being by the bay. She was wearing a white gown and holding a cross in her hand.
The spirit-being created a clear path for them by emitting bright light for them to follow. She then signaled them to come towards her. The waves were once again calm and the ocean was flat as a mirror. With the spirit’s guidance, they sailed safely to shore. Once safe on land, the spirit-being disappeared.
Photo: A replica of Strönd farm. Its last inhabitant was Vigfús Ingimundarson. The area suffered terrible sandstorms, resulting in the main living quarters disappearing in the sand. In 1696 Vigfús was tired of the upkeep and abandoned his home for good.
The farmer at Strönd farm saw the ship sail in towards shore after a horrible storm. He hurried out to see what ship this was and soon the nearby farms saw the ship as well and followed suit. The farmers knew that only the power of prayer could be responsible for such a miracle.
Photo: Strandarkirkja, rock with the name of residents at Strönd farm, Iceland
When the captain and his crew made it to shore, the nearby farmers were waiting for them. After greeting the exhausted and soaking wet sailors they were curious to find out where they came from and how they managed to navigate in the storm. The captain told them everything they went through, including the vows they made about building a church where they sailed ashore.
Building the church
St. Nicholas had guided the sailors to this lonely beach. The church was going to be as glorious as possible, with regalia and an altar tablet. As a gift to the saints, the crew donated candles and candle holders along with several other items in appreciation for sparing their lives. The church was to be sanctified to Mother Mary and Thomas of Canterbury but built for the glory of St. Nicholas.
The captain was going to create an image of St. Nicholas to place in the church. The captain explained all this to the farmers and finally explained that the church doors should face the ocean and while there are ships on the ocean the door should be left open. As long as they did this, St. Nicholas would protect them.
photo: Strandarkirkja 1898 by Frederick W. W. Howell (1857-1901)
The sailors and the nearby farmers worked together to build the church on the Strönd land and they called it Strandarkirkja (Strönd's Church). They built the church out of timber with the door facing the ocean. The men believed it was an angel sent from heaven that guided them to land, so they named the bay Engilsvík (Angel's Bay) and the strait Strandarsund (Strönd's Straight).
The farmers could hardly contain their excitement. They had been so desperately wanting a church that this truly felt God-sent. The Selvogur community finally felt their beautiful land was complete. They had, through miraculous means, received the church they had waited for. God wanted to build it for them and the saints had chosen the spot. Ever since the church has been a place where miracles begin. When the rest of the world heard about the “miracle church” in Iceland they traveled far to make vows in the small church in exchange for miracles. These vows continue to this day.
5 thoughts on “How to make your dreams come true through the power of prayer”
Thank you for the full story about the church, amazing!
Thank you. For a long time the story was only told orally, so some of the details were a bit hazy.
Comments are closed.