Today was the fourth day in my 90 Day Journey to Experience More and I was better prepared than yesterday. I wasn't distracted by any problems today and could spend more time with the Lord. The results were interesting. I approached 10 people to ask if they needed prayer - 8 obviously needed prayer and only 2 did not have any obvious signs. Out of the 10 people I asked to pray for, 8 people wanted to receive prayer. Seems like pretty good results compared to yesterday except that this time there appeared to be no outward signs of healing. I did get a call from one guy later that said he felt a lot better than he had in years and thanked me for praying and I did have one or two unique experiences. Read on to find out more.
My first unique experienced happened as I was driving into the town I was ministering at today. I saw an older man on the side of the road walking with a shopping cart and he had a walker inside the shopping cart. I almost immediately pulled over to ask him if he needed prayer. It might not sound that exciting to you. But to me, I have never done anything like that before. In the past, I have always driven by those who might need prayer wanting to stop and pray for them but never having enough courage to do so. I asked him if I could pray for him and he initially turn my request down. I continued to talk with him and after a meaningful conversation he was willing to accept my offer to pray for him. He had trouble walking and needed the shopping cart for balance and support. I prayed for him but no outward signs of healing took place. But I think his heart was touched because he graciously accepted my invitation to pick him up this Sunday to go to church with me.
The next guy who I met at the library had an upper body brace to support his back because two of his vertebrae were broken. I was able to pray for him and nothing seem to happen. After I prayed he said, "The proof was in the pudding." Meaning to wait and see what happens. I didn't think anything happened with him until he called me back hours later to tell me that He hadn't felt this good in years. Not all of the pain was gone but there was a noticeable difference. He also commented that I was the first person in a long time to show any compassion and spend some time with him. Isn't this at the core of what we should be doing, sharing God's love and compassion with others as we minister to them? Jesus always first had compassion on those he was ministering to (Matt. 9:36, Matt. 14:14, Mark 1:41, Luke 15:20). I'm glad I was able minister with compassion instead of just trying to pray for someone out of legalistic obligation. It changes everything. He did mention that he might be showing up at church this Sunday.
I was able to pray for two ladies that had problems with their hips, a guy that had a damaged lung and could only use 40 percent of his lungs to breath, and a vet that had multiple problems from the waste down but none of these seemed to be healed. I was also able to pray for a sweet little girl who had the croup and was waiting with her mother for her prescription and prayed for a mother's son who was having trouble in school. None of these showed any outward signs of healing but they all received God's love and compassion and were very appreciative that someone took time to pray for them.
I also want to tell you of the ones that got away or that I failed to minister to. I spent most of the time ministering at Wal-Mart. It's a great gathering place to meet people with all kinds of needs. I tried to catch up to an older guy who seemed to have some stroke symptoms but he was to fast for me and I lost him somewhere in Wal-Mart. I saw an older woman in a mobile cart waiting to be picked up at the front of the store. I approached her but never said anything. I was fumbling in my mind for an opportunity but never said anything. I also saw a lady coming out of her car and noticed she had some type of mechanical leg. I wanted to ask to pray for her but to be honest, I said to myself, "I don't know if I have enough faith to pray for her." Afterwards, I realized that it has very little to do with the amount of faith I have and has everything to do with a God that wants to do the impossible. I could do nothing without Him (John 15:5) from healing a headache to raising the dead. Creating a limb out of nothing is easy for God after-all he created us from speaking to dirt. Next time I hope to rest upon my Creator who delights to do the impossible.
I can't wait to see what God is going to do tomorrow. Check back again and see what Day 5 of my Journey to Experience More reveals of God's great compassion and goodness that He wants to show to everyone.
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