Last Saturday, a week ago today, my team took to the streets of Chattanooga to share our love for Jesus.
Before continuing my story, I must confess I had been feeling a bit skeptical, unsure of just how powerful God is and His connection to the crazy stories of visions and healing I had been hearing the past few days. Does God really give people visions? Can God really heal a hospital of sick people? I know Jesus healed people, and I know Jesus spoke life into so many…but we are only people, we aren’t Jesus.
As my team reached the park in Chattanooga we decided to separate into smaller groups of 1 and 2. I paired up with my teammate Jordan, and as we walked I shared with her my concerns of begin nervous for sharing Jesus with strangers. We had a small time frame and I wondered if we’d even be able to have a meaningful conversation with anyone. That’s what I craved; a loving conversation, one that allowed us to get to know the person’s heart and they to get to know ours. I wanted trust. With that we could share the love of our Savior.
Jordan then shared with me her concerns, which just so happened to be similar to mine. Feeling comfort from our shared worries, I thanked God that I wasn’t alone. As we continued to walk nervously down the street, Jordan bravely began to share her heart. She shared that in the car ride over she had been praying for our time in Chattanooga, and she felt the Lord speaking the word “braids” to her. She said she wasn’t sure what this meant, and she was unsure of whether there was any significance behind the word.
I, still feeling unsure of visions and questioning God's power, decided that there could be some significance to this word. Braids…how amazing would it be if we found a woman with braids. If we prayed over her. Surely this word could not be spoken into Jordan's heart for nothing. Braids…we have to find someone with braids.
We began to search for people who had braids. We walked for a few minutes searching, but no one seemed to have any braids in their hair. Jordan suggested we go down an alley that would lead us into the park. There will be several families playing in the park, surly someone will have their hair in braids. As we turned the corner we both saw a woman standing beside one of the walls. Her entire head was braids. Her entire head…braids.
I knew we had to talk to her. God told Jordan braids and I knew this was who He had in mind. We began to talk with this beautiful woman, we learned she worked in the salon next door and that lately life had been hard on her. After sharing a little about The World Race and ourselves we asked to pray with her. Jordan prayed first speaking words of encouragement and life into her, then I prayed for God to protect and guide her. When we finished praying I opened my eyes and saw tears running down her face. She told us how beautiful our prayers were, and then told us how much she had needed our prayers today.
God is so powerful. God knows us, and God will rescue us from our need. God knew Jordan would
hear His words and share them with the intention of following Him. God knew this beautiful woman
needed words of life spoken into her. And God knew I needed His reassurance. God knew. How
amazing. How beautiful.
I am convinced God not only sent us to this woman, but this woman to me. To remind me that He is
powerful. To remind me that God can heal an entire hospital of people. To remind me that God will
speak through me.
I stepped foot onto the streets of Chattanooga wondering when God would show up. Wondering if
God could speak through someone as inadequate as me. I left Chattanooga knowing God had
shown up long before I had taken my first steps in Chattanooga, and 100% sure He would speak
through someone as inadequate as me.
"oh the glory of it all is
He came here
for the rescue of us all
that we may live
for the glory of it all"
Before you leave this blog, I ask that you will join with me in praying for this amazing woman. Pray that God will guide her, strengthen her, and constantly remind her of His love for her.
