The Tuesday before Christmas 2010 we had some shelves delivered. The guy “T” was friendly and I got him a glass of water since it was hot and humid and we stood chatting while he drank.
As we chatted we got onto the subject of his children. He mentioned his eldest son was a miracle, who in all respects should have died a number of times from birth … he shared a story of struggle, triumph, stress and challenge … he shared how he and his wife had grieved with families whose children had died and whom they had befriended while at the Royal Children’s and the sense of pure joy … and survivors guilt … he and his wife felt when their son survived the odds and how now, years later, his son appears to have made it through and would live a relatively normal healthy life, now at the age of 13 … having lost a kidney just recently.
As I listened it became apparent that he was a Christian. I mentioned that it would be interesting to examine the survival rate of children that were prayed for while at the Royal Children’s in intensive care, as compared to those who were not prayed for … Selah.
He shared how he often knelt in the Chapel at the Royal Children’s Hospital and how they had even called their Priest to give his son his last rites … He understood how helpless we truly are in such situations and he knew that it would take a miracle for his boy to come through ….
I spoke of the revival that was gaining momentum in Australia, the power of healing, and miracles I had either witnessed or heard of … and we agreed that God was indeed a Good God.
I spoke of the gift of healing and I shared that we all have the ability to see others healed. I quoted Mark 16:17-18 as best I could “… these signs shall accompany those that believe … they will place their hands on sick people and they will get well.” I said that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us and I talked of God’s vindication, a promise of a 7 fold return on all stolen by the enemy … (see Proverbs 6:30-31 and Psalm 79:12).
As he was about to leave I asked if he wanted prayer for anything. I had noted a cut on the back of his hand, but also felt he had been through so much I wanted to bless him in some way, to call in a pay back on all that had been stolen …
He said he wanted prayer for his hand – that just that morning he had stitches removed from where a skin cancer had been found … so after dealing with my 3 year old son who needed immediate attention (we had been talking for over an hour in our hallway) I laid a hand on his hand and began to pray … the anointing came in waves of varying strength, he felt tingling, heat, and power. I kept praying, calling in restitution, restoration, redemption and God’s vindication, 7 fold pay back for all that had been taken from his family, for peace, and for (after he said he wanted it) an impartation of the gift of healing, asking God to give it to him … he had said he had such a heart for people that were going through what he had been through, that he had such a heart for the little ones that were ill, that he was often moved to tears if he heard their stories on TV – he had got teary a number of times as we talked.
I suggested that he may have great compassion for those people not only because of his own experience but because he could feel God’s heart for them. I suggested that God would not give him such compassion without the accompanying anointing to do something about it … I suggested that he start praying for the sick, and that he may see many get healed, that compassion was often the sign that God wanted us to do something …
I kept my hand on his until the heat, tingles and other manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s presence seemed to lift … the skin had better flexibility on the back of his hand and he was able to clench his fist with more ease … he was grateful for the time … he felt a little light headed, and felt a strong sense of peace …
He left after 1 hour and 20 minutes …
I looked at the time and momentarily felt a bit frustrated that my entire morning had been taken up with this person, but then realised that it had been an important encounter – it was important to take the time, to listen to his story and I thought that perhaps he would take the encouragement to heart … perhaps he would step out and pray for those he had so much compassion for and perhaps vindication would follow … not only in him seeing lives healed as he stepped out and lay hands on the sick, but I hoped and trusted that God would redeem the time, emotion, money, relationships etc that had been stolen from his family through the years of watching their child fight death off …, perhaps one day I will hear from him and hear about how his family were blessed. He may have testimonies of God’s goodness, greatness and redeeming character as he steps out in faith … perhaps a life had been changed in that 1 hour and 20 minutes in my hallway and that life just may become a multitude as he gave away all that God had given him … because …
God is Good.
Post Script:
After this encounter I sat down to write up the story of Christmas Shopping with Jesus (see story dated 18 December 2010). Immediately after writing the story up I received a phone call from A (the Mother of the girl in a wheelchair with 2 broken legs and whom had an autistic son). The phone call took over an hour, and my children waited patiently again.
During this call I learnt about the impact of my prayers from the Saturday before …
They had made a difference!
I was encouraged after spending so much time with T in my hallway.
So often we do not know the outcome of our prayers … the deposit of time is made without any obvious return. Time spent with strangers never seen again … but, occasionally God brings one back … and the result is so very, very good, because the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective, … my prayers matter … your prayers matter … stopping for the one and hearing them matters, what we do with what we have matters … give it away … tag, your “it” now pass it on … because …
God is Good!