This isn’t one of those big stories where I prayed for someone in a shop, they got healed and delivered and knelt down and gave their lives to Jesus. But it did happen this week and I was very reluctant.
I was passing by a shop in a local town and thought I should go in and stand and look at some pendant necklaces. It felt strange as I wasn’t particularly attracted to them so couldn’t understand why I was still staring at them. As I stood there a voice suddenly said to me “ Don’t step back, don’t step back” . It was spoken with such urgency that it was as if a river full of crocodiles was behind me and I would be eaten up! I looked behind me it there was nothing there. I looked to the right and there was an older woman standing a short distance away. She said, “I have a big bunion on my foot and I have just had an operation.” She then proceeded to tell me all about her operation and even demonstrated with her fingers how two of her toes were bent over each other. Into my head came the thought ....pray for her. I ignored it.
I showed interest in what the woman was saying to me as I felt she was lonely and was enjoying chatting. She then said that her foot was very painful ...again the thought came....pray for her. I ignored it as we were standing very near the counter and people were all around us. By now the woman was in full flow with her story.
She said “last week a man stood on my toe that had been operated on....it was so painful it bought tears to my eyes. No one cares anymore...everyone is in too much of a hurry. I have to have my other foot operated on soon”.
For the third time, the thought came....pray for her. This time I obeyed.
I simply asked “Can I pray for you. Straight away she said yes and before she could change her mind I put my hand on her shoulder. She surprised me by bowing her head and shutting her eyes.
I prayed a very simple prayer asking Jesus to take her pain and heal her foot. Then I asked him to protect her foot so no one else trod on it. At this point, she laughed. I quickly said goodbye and left the shop.
There were no fireworks ...she didn’t say she was healed or anything but she gave me a smile. When I got in the car later I suddenly realised that one of the things she had said was “ no one cares anymore...everyone is in too much of a hurry”. I have no idea if she was healed but I felt that at least she knew that someone did care.
I said sorry to the Lord that it has taken 3 times for Him to ask me to pray before I obeyed. Sometimes we don’t always know the outcome of our praying. Sometimes we pray for healing and the Lord does something else instead. Our job is just to be obedient. I am ready for some more adventures. How about you?