Side salad, french fries, mango smoothie.
Got it.
I brought the food order to Gwang. She grabbed it and took off to the chefs. Hands in my pocket, I stared outside and took it in. I’m in Thailand. And working at this cute cafe for part of our ministry. Unreal. Not to mention the staff discounts I get on smoothies.
As I took it in, she caught my eye. That sweet old lady I took the order of. Sitting alone and looking into the streets. I loved something about her. Maybe it was her long white hair, or her Australian accent. Regardless, I was glad I stayed on the extra hour to help out. And that’s when it hit me….
“Go pray for her right knee.”
Huh. Weird thought. Brushed it off.
Gwang handed me her smoothie. I grabbed it, complete with a straw and plastic umbrella. As I set it down in front of her. I noticed she looked distant, the evening street lights reflecting off of her many wrinkles. She smiled, I left.
Again, ‘pray for her right knee.’
Which seriously, have you ever had one of those moments? This women had nothing physically wrong with her. I watched her walk into the café. No cane, no crutch, no hobble. One of those odd things you brush off, justify, and ignore.
She finished her salad and fries. Seriously, they have delicious fries here.
My shift ended. I went outside to the street market to buy some rottee with my teammate Shayne. Try some banana, sweeten condensed milk, and honey all deep fried in dough together. Yup. It’s heaven. I paid the wonderful women who made them. It started to drizzle, and I turned to head back to the café.
But there she was.
Yup, sweet ole’ Australian lady standing behind me. I tried not to think about it.
We started walking back.
“Pray for her right knee.’’
I clutched my fists. Seriously, this was annoying and dumb. “Alright God, whatever….Shayne!” I called, “hold up, I have to do something.”
I walked back over to her as she stood in line. Begrudgingly I tapped her shoulder. Embraced for denial and embarrassment.
She looked at me, and I felt like my mouth blubber out some sort of hodgepodge about praying, and a, ‘I felt like I was supposed too’ along with the final million dollar question,
…’does your right knee hurt?’
I kinnda wish I could have seen my face, because to be quite honest, I don’t know if I was in more shock or she was when she looked deep into my eyes and said,
‘beyond belief yes.’
I think my mouth dropped.
To affirm…I asked if her left knee hurt at all (secretly waiting for that justified ‘yes,’ proving it was nothing more than a coincidence.)
‘No, not at all.’
Wait…so seriously, just your right knee hurts?
‘Yes,’ she said.
Something within me felt sick. Something within me felt joy and peace. She went onto explain she was prepping her a lifelong trip to Tibet—but didn’t know how her knee would make it as bone ground against bone, and some sort of arthritis thing I can’t remember the name of.
When I asked permission to pray, she gladly said yes, that I could pray to whatever God I wanted too.
I told her it was Jesus.
I believe to this moment she was healed. She didn’t jump around proclaiming freedom from pain, and she didn’t have too, she just looked at me. I don’t know if it was rain or tears. And regardless of whether I saw a miraculous healing right in front of me or not, I was reminded of something I so easily forget….
obedience.
Obedience as not a means to an end, but as the ultimate goal.
Because sometimes, what God asks of us, really makes no sense. There’s no logical explanation, there’s no gateway to clarity. There’s not a whole lot. Sometimes we brush it off, for pride, for comfort, for ease. I think we’re ultimately afraid of it.
Afraid that if we sit still long enough and listen, His plan will be way different then ours.
But I’m learning, that regardless of my meager attempts to control my surroundings, whether I sit still and listen, or constantly move….He still speaks.
And although walking away is just so easy to justify, so ‘safe’…
That perhaps:
His plans could be better than mine.
And just maybe:
His plans bring Him more glory.
I’m the first to say I’m an expert in the art of disobedience. But He’s showing me the power of simply doing what He says.
Go do. I challenge you, stop making excuses for a God that can restore and redeem time. He gives grace and courage abundantly. He knows the craziness of your life just as much as you do. Obedience is key. The only true thing that can prepare us for tomorrow.
And you my friend, could be amazed at how God chooses to use you.
“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands.” 2 John 2:6
