My daughter had a birthday party to attend at a ten-pin bowling centre. Since we had a function immediately after, I arrived early to pick her up and say ‘hello,’ with the thought I would be free to leave quickly.
Logical ‘get away’ plan, so I thought.
I arrived, and only the birthday girl’s parents were there. I had a lovely chat to the Mum, but I noted she was walking with a limp.
I asked her about it.
‘I’ve torn my left calf muscle,’ was the response.
Immediately I knew I needed to pray, but I did not feel like kneeling at the bowling centre to lay hands on her calf. I felt mean, and I felt guilty for not wanting to kneel. I was willing to, if that was what God wanted; but I didn’t really want to kneel.
I excused myself and went to the bathroom. I needed some time to ‘chat’ with God. Miffed, I silently chatted to God about the fact that I really did not feel like getting on my knees to pray. I had done so some time before for a dad who wanted to play football on the weekend. In that story, God had said,
‘Get on your knees, lay your hands on his knee and pray.’
It was clear – I was to get over myself and obey.
Well, God is funny.
Mulling over these things, I heard with great clarity, and a sense of mirth,
“Stop being so religious. Just lay your hand on her shoulder!”
I could hear the laughter in His voice and feel the humour in my being.
You may recall the earlier story. I had wanted to just lay my hand on the man’s shoulder, but I was told to kneel instead, and place my hand on his knee!
‘Ok, ok,’ I said to Him, just a little ticked off.
‘Stop taking yourself so seriously,’ the laughter continued at my expense, making me smile a little.
‘Ok, ok, very funny,’ I said.
I came back from the bathroom and told my friend that I was going to pray for her, and I placed my hand on her upper arm. The anointing flowed as I invited the Holy Spirit to come, and I prayed for a release of healing. I felt a little doubt as I prayed, but I felt heat form on her arm, under my hand and so I asked,
‘Can you feel that?’
‘Yes, yes, I can. It is all warm in my calf muscle where I hurt myself.’
What?
Well, I did not expect that!
I laughed and told her about my chat with God. I explained to her I knew you did not have to lay hands on the spot always, but I had not had the warmth come in another area like this before. This was new. I felt the warmth in and under my hand; but she felt the warmth in her calf muscle.
Encouraged, I explained the warmth would be the healing power of God, and I asked her to tell me when the warmth lifted.
I continued to pray, and the warmth subsided just as the other mums came to collect the children. He had even dealt with the challenge of praying in front of the ‘mummy squad.’ It was unnecessary on this day.
I said my ‘goodbyes,’ and she said she would tell me how she got on.
The following day, we exchanged a few texts, but I am ashamed to say I had forgotten about her calf muscle. Yet, true to her promise, a text came back saying,
‘…and leg feels better’
I saw her a few days later. She was walking limp free!
She experienced God in a new way.
So had I!
God will be God.
He is not religious, and He loves to mix things up.
There is no formula to what He does. There is no formula for how He does it.
Holy Spirit also has a great sense of humour. He will have a giggle at our expense, helping us to laugh at ourselves with Him. He makes it fun.
Simply, God is unbothered in making us uncomfortable (hence having me kneel in the school playground in the earlier story). He is also unimpressed if we assume we must do things in a certain set way – hence, His comment (and humour) about being religious when I thought I would have to kneel again.
Rather, it is all about us listening to Him; us conversing with Him.
Indeed, I believe it is simply about relationship. Allowing Him to lead in the pas de deux of Love.
We lean in and learn to recognise His voice. In doing so, we grow into our own. As we respond to His promptings, we grow in the role of ‘servant,’ and we learn about the ‘family business.’ As we do, there is a further invitation into friendship. Through the doorway of obedience, if we can see Him beyond our works, we will see Him as ‘master’ while also seeing Him as ‘friend,’ ‘brother,’ ‘Father’ and ‘lover.’
It’s paradoxical, and pure.
Our willingness to step out can become a doorway into a deeper intimacy, if we will enter in. Works alone is not what He desires. Rather, He seeks our willingness to be with Him, to know Him, and for Him to know us. As we go, we respond to the heartbeat of Heaven. It is in this place, most of all, that we discover, together with the world, that we release Him into that…
God is Good!
Link to story mentioned: https://wp.me/p1lKNW-uy