This month God has been teaching me about His relentless love.
Here in Sunyani, Ghana we have been doing street evangelism. Through all these stories and people we have come into contact with one man has taught me how relentless God’s love is.
It was a day like any other. We were telling people about Jesus and asking them to come to church. After turning down a back road and walking for awhile we stumbled upon a very lively house. There were women working, children playing and a healthy amount of chickens running around. Our group started talking and praying for the women while I was playing with one of the kids. When we were all finished and getting ready to leave we saw this older gentleman. He was at the back of the house, separated and seemingly forgotten by all. You could tell something was wrong with him from a distance. Once we got closer we saw that his legs were very swollen and that he had no control of his body, he couldn’t stop shaking. We didn’t know it at first but this man was the reason we were drawn to this house.
We prayed for a miracle. We prayed that the shaking would stop and that he would be able to stand. This isn’t one of those stories, sorry. Nothing happened. We went back to the family and finished up talking to them. We were getting ready to leave again and one of my teammates saw a vision of the older man standing up and walking. So we didn’t waste anytime. We went back to pray for him again. Each time we prayed for him his shaking would subside. You could feel the Holy Spirit at work but that being said there was no miracle that day.
The whole team was a little discouraged but we know that everything happens in God’s timing.
The next day we went to the same neighborhood for morning and afternoon ministry. This meant we could go visit this man again. In the morning we prayed over him and his sweet wife that gets to care for him. The swelling in his legs had decreased, which got us very hopeful. Once we got to the community in the afternoon we only had about 30 minuets but that wasn’t going to stop us from going to see him. Before we went to minister to anyone else we prayed over this man again.
When we loaded back up into the vans that afternoon I was overwhelmed with just how much God loves this man but also each one of us. God knows what each of us needs to feel loved and it just so happens that this man needed some missionaries to travel from the USA to Ghana to not only find where he lives but continue to come back and pray for him every chance they get. What God was having us do for this man opened my eyes to how much more God goes out of His way to love on each one of us.
We could have been discouraged that this gentleman wasn’t healed and never gone back to pray for him. However that isn’t what God would do. In the bible there is a story of a Shepard. This Shepard has so many sheep under his care but when one goes missing he does not hesitate making the decision to go find that one lost sheep. The love of God is like that. There are so many people in this great big world but He loves you so relentlessly that He will never stop seeking you out.
Through this older gentleman I have learned more about the love of God. I have such an overwhelming love for this man and I don’t even know how to say his name. How much more does the Father in Heaven love me and you. How much more will God seek you out, find you at your lowest and pull you into His love.
A few weeks later I had a vision of the man walking. We weren’t sure how we were going to get back to him but we knew we would. We talked about it with some leaders, never talking about the exact neighborhood. The very next day guess where the vans took us for ministry.
We walked the familiar route to this mans house. Once we got to the house we maneuvered to the back where they kept him hidden. This time was different.
Cristen prayed the most powerful prayer I have ever heard. She prayed boldly for healing. While she was praying for the man I was praying for protection over the moment. I prayed the armor of God on each one of us, the man, his wife, our translator and us. While I was praying for protection I saw a vision of angels surrounding us with their swords drawn. The Holy Spirit was so strong in this moment. The man stopped shaking for most of the prayer and their were tears running down his face.
This man is healed. It may not be what we were praying for but I believe God stepped in and gave this man what he needed. To feel seen, not forgotten and loved so relentlessly by a big God. I know that some day he will walk. I don’t know if it will be on earth or in Heaven but this man knows the relentless love of God.
Such a joy comes over me every time we pull into this neighborhood because I know exactly where I will be going first.
Update: The joy of not having enough wi-fi to post a blog means you get the whole story. We went back again to see him, we call him Papa. Found out he has been walking in the mornings and getting back his strength. However in the afternoons he is to weak to walk. When we asked him if we could do anything for him because it was going to be our last visit, he said “Can I get one last prayer.” I will never stop praying for this man.
