4-year-old M and I were up at the shopping centre on Tuesday 6th September 2011 to collect a pair of socks left behind on a school shoe shopping excursion. author’s note: no … I do not live there, but often God wants me to stop for the one there and hence the many shopping stories!
As we headed through the centre, I “coincidentally” remembered (God reminded me) that I needed to buy some inserts for a note-book. I popped into Kiki K for the inserts and as I went to pay I got a severe stabbing pain in the top part of my left shoulder. I rubbed it thinking “how strange” and as I did I got the impression, I had the thought, that it could perhaps be a physical manifestation form of a word of knowledge – God was letting me know that there was a sore left shoulder there that He wanted to heal. I just had to step out and offer to pray …
I looked at the girl serving me and quickly explained that I had just got a strong pain in the left shoulder, that I was a Christian, and that sometimes God highlights a need in this way and I asked her whether she had a sore shoulder? I explained that it was not “my pain” and that it only started when I walked into the shop.
The girl said “no”… both her shoulders were fine.
I thought “oh well … my imagination.” But then I hesitated and thought “no, I am going to push through further” and I asked her whether she knew if anyone that worked at the shop had a problem with their left shoulder …
As soon as I asked the question her jaw dropped and she exclaimed “yes, M has a sore shoulder.” I clarified the problem asking if it was the left shoulder and she said “yes it is the left shoulder” looking even more incredulous.
I asked if M was there, but she wasn’t, so in faith I asked if she would stand in and receive prayer in M’s place. She readily agreed and so I laid my hand on her left shoulder, invited the Holy Spirit to come and commanded the shoulder to be healed. I prayed for tendons to be made right, muscles to relax, and for the back to align with the will of God … telling the pain to leave in Jesus and for the shoulder to be made right. As I did the pain lifted off my shoulder. The girl said she felt something but I did not explore what she felt. I suggested she place her hand on M’s shoulder and release the healing in Jesus name when she next saw M. I also explained that M may already be healed, or may be healed as she walked into the store, or that she may need to lay her hand on it to release the healing … that she should wait and see what happens, but that M would be healed.
The girl got so very excited saying how amazing it all was and that she could not wait to see M, who was scheduled to come in later that day.
I left, also very excited. This was the first acute (it hurt!) physical word of knowledge that I can remember getting while out in the public like this and it was exciting to step into another realm of how God speaks to us.
Interestingly, I felt the pain come back into my shoulder some time later and so I prayed again for M as I walked around and the pain lifted again … I assume she is healed … I hope they text to let me know …
What pain (physical or emotional) do you feel when you are out and about … does it belong to you or is there someone who God is calling you to stop and pray for? Give it a go, you will be delighted and surprised when it happens to you, and it will happen because God wants to touch the world and heal their hurts more than you want Him to because …
God is Good!