The relationships we build open doors for the miraculous to be revealed. How we walk and lead our lives will impact the openness or otherwise of those we come into contact with regularly … we can decide to shut the relationship down, due to offence or bad feelings, or we can choose to continue to walk in love, and then perhaps God will open the door for us to be able to impact a life …
I had sensed that this morning was the morning that I needed to return some items from the shops. I checked where I was heading and felt God “show” me that I was to park on the highest level at the centre. I again felt pretty certain that there was someone there for me to pray for …
I headed through Myer and into the mall area and felt He wanted me to stop by in a shop where a replacement item was due to arrive. I had not heard from them to say the item had come in, but I thought I would pop in anyway.
I went into the shop and the manageress was there. She recognised me and greeted my little boy and I by name. I said “hello” and mentioned that I was dropping in on the “off chance” that the item was in … it had just arrived that morning – and it was only about 9.30am!
We sorted the details and as I got ready to leave I checked to see if she was “the one” that I was here for – she was!
I offered to pray, premising the offer with that I was a Christian and that I felt God sometimes wanted me to offer to pray and I repeated the story of the girl in Coles who I felt I needed to offer to pray, but who had said nothing so I offered to just bless, but then the girl blurted out that she was suspected with having breast cancer and how did I know etc …
I finished telling my story and the manageress poured it all out … she did need prayer.
Her father, an alcoholic, elderly, abusive man had been so abusive that he had been asked to leave the home he was living in and they needed to find something else for him … she said it was hard and she was one of 5 and so it was causing dissention within the family … I said I would pray and just as I did the phone rang and a customer came in … I said I would wait, and wandered around the store as she did what she needed to do …she said twice not to wait, but I insisted that it was important and that I would wait …
Having waited 5-10 minutes, she came over and said sorry … there was still a customer, but the customer was around the corner … I asked for her hand and felt an anointing come … I prayed for favour, for peace, for healing for her and for her father … I prayed for a place in another home and declared that it would happen … trusting that God wanted the way open or He would not have had me pray. I prayed peace into her family and between the siblings, in and over her family, rebuking the spirit of alcoholism, and I prayed healing for the manageress from the impact of her father …
She did not feel anything, but she acknowledged that I may be more sensitive than her. I said I could feel it, but that only about 50% or so felt something, but I knew it would all be ok – I had felt God as I prayed.
She thanked me and went to finish serving the customer ….
The reason I tell this story is that in the past I did not like going into the store when she was there … she was prickly and aggressive, and I did not like being in the store. If she was working I would not go into the store, but about 1 year ago I had resolved I would go in and be as kind as I could and a gentle rapport has developed … such that she trusted me enough this morning to bear her past, her difficulties and her burdens in an open and honest way …
I am glad that I chose to walk in love towards this woman. I can now see why she had grown to be who she was, and I am so glad that in persisting with her through loving kindness a door was opened and God was able to enter in her time of need, in a way that I doubt could have happened had I been a stranger that had reacted in like fashion towards her …
Who are you doing life with on a regular basis? Is there someone that is prickly? Is there someone that has a history that you do not know about? Is there a petrol station attendant, a shop assistant, a neighbour, a postman, is there someone whose name you could get to know, and who you could gently release the Kingdom of Heaven over through your attitude towards them, so that one day, in their need, you can step in and release a miracle, or even just show them that God is a God that cares, loves them and wants to provide answers in a harsh world?
Please note – I am not perfect in this, and I have even been sent back into stores by God to apologise for my lack of respect and honour … but if we start to walk and choose life-giving behaviour, regardless of how they treat us, then we just never know who and what we may impact, because as an opportunity to pray comes, miracles and solutions can be released because …
God is good!
Coles testimony referred to: