The gift of prophecy is something we are all able to take out of the four walls of the church. If we are hungry to flow and grow in the prophetic, nothing will stop us. There is a plethora of people outside our doors waiting to receive a touch from the Lord. It’s just leaning in and as you go about your day, recognizing and responding to the voice of God, and as you do, crazy things will happen.

I was completing a big grocery shop, and stood watching my products being swiped through. As I waited, I looked at the girl serving me, and a knowing came upon me. I knew I needed to offer to pray.

I couldn’t see any obvious signs of injury. It was busy at the store, and stopping to offer, especially when things are busy, is always awkward.

‘It’s too busy,’ I thought. ‘I think I’ll let this one go.’

As I finished my purchase, I could sense the woman behind me was itching to get through and out. I hate being a nuisance, but the knowing would not let up, so I resolved in my heart to unpack my shopping in to my car, come back with the trolley and then offer to pray. I hoped there would be a pause in the flow of customers, but even as I hoped, I knew there wasn’t a slowing of waiting people. Through experience, I knew, it often got busier in these divinely appointed moments. Either way, I knew I just had to step out and offer, regardless of who was there or how busy it was.

On my return to the check-out counter, I quietly waited as the store employee finished serving the woman after me. As I stood, I mentioned I wanted to pray for her.

‘I don’t know if you need prayer, but I’m happy to wait to pray for you,’ I said hurriedly.

It was then, as I spoke, that I saw a bandage on her wrist. I had not seen it before. I then smiled and said,

‘Oh, now I see why I was to come back and offer to pray.’

She smiled back at me and kept serving the woman, regularly turning back to look at me, grinning.

She finished up with the customer, and another person came to be served. Undeterred, she turned to me.

I quickly asked her about the wrist. It was a painful repetitive strain injury (RSI) that required the support of a bandage for her to lift and shift the groceries as she scanned.

As I cradled her wrist in my hand, I invited the Holy Spirit to come. I explained briefly that I was a Christian, and I commanded the pain, the RSI, and the spirit of arthritis to leave. Once done, I released the oil of the Holy Spirit into her arm.

I am often asked how I know what to pray. It’s through listening to God, listening to the person, watching what occurs and experience that helps. But really, it’s stepping out and giving it a go, as best you know how.

After praying for the oil of the Holy Spirit to flow, I stopped and listened to what I felt God was showing me and I knew the root cause was coming from her shoulder.

I asked if I could place my hand on her shoulder. She agreed, and I prayed for freedom of movement into her shoulder. I asked her to swing her arm around, to test out the shoulder. I explained how I felt the problem extended into her arm, from the shoulder, and that she needed to rotate and move her shoulder, which would release and free the arm.

As she did so, I asked her to check it out, to see how the injury felt.

She shifted her thumb.

No pain.

She wriggled her fingers.

No pain.

I suggested she take her support off. As she did, she wriggled her fingers and turned her wrist.

She looked at me, smiling.

No pain!

With the flick of her wrist, the pain had gone. She had received healing, in Jesus’ name!

‘Thank you, Jesus!’ I said with a smile.

I thanked her for letting me pray and, as I turned to leave, I blessed her, encouraging her to move her shoulder and arm regularly.

This was a simple prayer. This is a simple story. It never needs to be complicated. It was a little out of my way, but it took a small amount of time to release God’s goodness and healing power. A brief second to agree with God’s nudge in the moment. A breath in time to agree with God’s will for another life, and now she too knew, with a happily healed wrist that …

God is Good!

© Beth Kennedy 2023