We had a pair of jazz ballet shoes to purchase.  We knew where we needed to go, had the time on Saturday afternoon, but we had felt God say “do it tomorrow on the way home from church”, and so, with adequate time to stop after church, before the start of a play date, we popped into Chadstone to “bag” the shoes and go on …

We stopped briefly to buy a treat … an ice-cream for my son and myself, and 2 oversized chocolate freckles for the play date my daughter was going on (my husband honourably abstained).  As we left the shopping centre, me sharing my ice cream with my five-year old son, who had decided he preferred my chocolate one to his rainbow one, I saw a young man in a wheel chair and I got that familiar prompting to stop and offer to pray …

I caught my husband’s eye who instantly knew what I was about to do and he disappeared with the kids, a relief for me since I normally stop with children by my side.

I gently approached the young man in the wheel chair and opened up a conversation with something like “Hi … I can see you are in a wheel chair … something really tough must have happened to you …” not smooth, but effective …

As I spoke he motioned to me that he was actually missing a leg (which I had not realised) and I thought “oh my gosh!” I had thought he was in a wheel chair needing a healing miracle, not that he was in a wheel chair needing a creative miracle …

He motioned to the lack of leg and I quickly tried to recover my cool, calm, collected stance … and as I did he explained that his right arm no longer worked either … and that if it did he could use crutches …

“Great”, I thought … “I have really got myself in the deep end!” and, after a deep breath, I proceeded to introduce myself and explain why I had stopped.  I shared with him that our church, Stairway, had been prophesied over and told that we would see creative miracles like legs grow, and that I wanted to know whether he would permit me to pray for that and for the healing of his arm … explaining that God had highlighted him to me to stop …

He readily agreed, placing his hot meat pie down, and he told me his name was Mark …

I placed my hand on his left shoulder and, as my five-year old son ran up and away with tongue out to swipe licks on my now melting chocolate ice cream, I invited the Holy Spirit to come, and I released healing over him in the name of Jesus.  I then prayed in line with God’s Word over our church and asked God to create a new leg, ignoring the screaming thoughts in my head that were saying “you are mad you are mad” … and I reminded God of His word and asked Him to perform a creative miracle for Mark in the name of Jesus …

I then walked around him and placed my hand on his right shoulder and I again released healing in the name of Jesus and I commanded his right arm to be healed.  As I did I started to receive words of knowledge of what needed healing, to make the arm whole, and I “knew” that the injury had been as a result of a trauma, an accident …

I told the sinews to knit, the muscles to function, the nerves to heal and for a few other things that came to mind as I prayed and I asked for the oil of the Holy Spirit to be released and flow through his arm.  As I prayed in faith the words and commands I felt I “heard” he nodded in agreement and I felt that somehow I was hitting the mark with the prayers, that they were words of knowledge from God, words indicating what healing was required to have his arm function again … I felt they were words being released to give him faith that God knew and cared for him … for I surely could not have known in the natural, for he had not told me and I am not medically trained in any way …

I then called for “redemption”.  I felt so very strongly that God’s word for him was “redemption”, that God would “redeem” him … all he had lost … His eyes grew moist and he was visibly moved …

My son continued to run up cheekily licking my ice cream …

On this particular occasion I felt to give Mark my mobile (cell phone) number and my husband and my first names … I also gave him the details of church services and times and he asked whether there was wheel chair access, to which I said there was …

I mentioned a few testimonies of healing and told how God’s healing can come as a seed, which grows, and I encouraged him to thank God for any improvement … and to come for more prayer if he felt so inclined.  I then shared about how a man who was in a wheelchair and who was unable to move his legs had started to move his legs the week before at our church’s evening service and I encouraged him to come …

I then felt I needed to give him a kiss, and so I asked if I could.  He agreed,  and so I kissed him on the cheek, and thanked him for allowing me to stop and pray, for interrupting his day …

I wanted to fix it for Mark … I wanted to make things right … but it was beyond my power to do so … all I could do was stop and offer God’s word … or rather offer God’s Word:

For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10 (NASB 1995)

Our church has a promise from God in the form of a prophetic word that creative miracles will be seen, will be released … it’s the testimony of Jesus … it’s the promise of Jesus …

I feel that he was greatly touched that someone cared enough to stop and pray …

I feel that He was impacted by God in how God showed me the needs of his heart and the requirements of healing in his arm …

I feel he was touched that someone offered an answer …

I know he felt God … I trust he received hope … we cannot stop and pray and not cause change to occur … prayer releases something … something grand … and as we stop for the one and offer them The One they will each taste and see that …

God is Good!