We were up at the local swim school with our 4-year-old son this morning (Saturday 13th August 2011). I was at the reception desk arranging a “make up” class for him when the girl (for what reason I do not know) looked at me and said she felt sick because she had just eaten an ice-cream …
As she checked make up lesson times I checked with God and felt He wanted me to pray for her. We finished sorting out the “make ups” and I said “give me your hand, I am going to pray for you”, and I mentioned a few examples of people being healed of upset tummies in the past. I said to her that she had nothing to lose in giving it a go. She agreed and so I prayed.
I held her hand and I prayed for “peace” in her tummy in Jesus name, and for God’s “shalom” to be within her stomach. As I did so the words “dairy intolerance” came to mind. I asked her if she had “dairy intolerance” and she responded that she did not know but she did not drink much milk – she didn’t like it. I explained that I felt she may be dairy intolerant and she should check it out since that was what I “heard” for her as I prayed and that, if so, the ice-cream could definitely trigger nausea and an upset feeling in her tummy. She then said that she had eaten a richer ice cream last night and felt ill after that too … she noted the “coincidence”.
I then prayed that her body would cease to be dairy intolerant and I suggested that she take it easy on the dairy … especially the ice-cream.
I finished up. She said she felt no immediate change, but she agreed that the nausea may lift more quickly due to the prayer. I reiterated that she really had nothing to lose in giving prayer a go.
This is a simple story. There is nothing seemingly remarkable about it. There were no immediate “hallelujahs” … she didn’t feel anything, her nausea had remained … but I sense that God was letting her know that her body did not tolerate dairy well. He cares about our physical well-being too. He wants us healthy and He will let us know, in various ways, if we are doing something that is not too great for our bodies.
Perhaps she will get it checked out … perhaps she is already healed of the intolerance. Either way, I know God wanted me to pray for her. She had an encounter with a loving God who wants only the best for her – I know this because He wanted me to stop and pray and the “prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” James 5:16 (NIV). I believe every time you pray you effect change. He gave me the words “dairy intolerance” because He wanted her healed of it and I know He would not have had me stop and pray for her unless He wanted her better!
This may seem an insignificant story; however, I have learnt along the way that even the little encounters matter. Each encounter with our loving Father is one more step to knowing and receiving Him … He will continue to reveal Himself to her; He will continue to draw her to Himself … and this I know because …
God is Good!