I realized my poor car needed an oil change. Funds are tight, but God provided a good deal in the form of a Groupon for this whole oil change and tire rotation package! This brought me to the Auto Tune place yesterday. Keep in mind I am all tanked up and full of faith and excitement from my conference. At the conference I heard these testimonies from people living on the cutting edge of what is possible for God to do in a person's life, so I am all revved up to see God in action!
I walked into the auto tune place and gave my keys to the lady at the desk. I had time to kill. Then a man with a bad leg hobbled in. "Perfect!" I thought. "Now I have time AND someone to pray for!" I asked the man if he wanted prayer for his bad leg. He told me that he used to be Catholic and he prays every day, but he'd take more prayer. Before I prayed for his leg I listened to him about his life. This poor man had it rough. He was in Alcoholics Anonymous, he was constantly having problems with housing and at the last place he lived someone stole his bi-polar medicine, he had anger issues... His knee was rubbing bone on bone and he needed surgery- this put the hip on his other side out of whack and his other knee was shot as a result. He was illiterate until he was 45 and even now that he could read he could not understand what he read.
As I listened to him I held his hands. I anointed him with the new anointing oil that I got at the conference which represents the blood of Christ. I prayed for Jesus to heal his mind and remove the confusion in his thoughts. I prayed that Jesus is his Prince of Peace. He said he really needed for the confusion to leave. I told him that God has forgiven him and removed his sins as far as the east is from the west and he started to weep. I prayed for the love of God to come into his heart and show him how much he is loved and how valuable he is. I prayed that he would be free of addiction. While I was sitting with him he called someone about a new residence and his anger management counselor to see when his appointment was.
I really felt like God wanted to minister to his heart before we went straight to his bum knees. Then I put my hand on his knee with the brace and prayed for God to create cartilage and replace anything missing in his knees so he wouldn't need surgery. I felt something happening, but he did not feel the pain leave so I kept praying. Occasionally the oil lube guys would walk in and out and they must've wondered what I was doing with my hands on his knees, but I was undaunted. I knew I was at that auto tune place for this man.
Finally his car was done. We had tested his knees to see if they were healed, but he still felt pain. I was confident that even if God did not heal him completely right then, He could continue the healing work without me seeing the results. (I actually do this often. I pray for random people and don't see anything happen right then, but who's to say God doesn't heal them when they go home or the next day when I am not there to see it?) So I want to encourage you to pray for people and maintain your faith even if you don't see results immediately. I've heard testimonies from people powerfully used of God to heal, and they will pray for tons of people who they don't see healed that day, but God heals them on the ride home, or later on after the conference and they don't always get to share that testimony with the one who prayed for them.
We pray for others boldly, believing in the promises of God that Christ took all our afflictions and that by his stripes/wounds we are healed. It is not up to us to prove that God will do it by our fervent prayers. We are obedient to pray, and leave the results with God.
So before the man left I asked if I could give him a hug. Remember this is another easy thing we can do for people. People need hugs- I don't care who you are. We all need hugs. And if you know the love of God, then you HUG with the love of God, and people can tell the difference. Hug people with your whole being and they will encounter God's love.
Now my car is running as well as can be expected for an 11 year old car, God bless her. For those of you who know me you know what I'm talking about. :) But more importantly one man is at least encouraged that God cares about his problems and is working on his behalf to bring healing and restoration to his troubled life. I don't care where you are, if you see someone who is obviously troubled- don't be intimidated by their problems. Just be present to let Jesus touch them in whatever way they need, whether it be hope, comfort, encouragement, whatever... We don't have it within ourselves to give, but we have CHRIST within us- and HE gives generously if we will only offer our lives to be used by him.
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