The Lord had just done amazing things.
A man with bad eyes could read his bible once again. A woman with back pain that shot down her leg was finally at ease. A home with a dark presence was filled with the joy of the Lord. A woman with a locked heart received the love that God has for her.
We are God’s vessels.
My team spent a few days in Yanacancha, a remote town in the mountains of Peru. We were a step up from the beginning of our week in Negritos where we were camping in a church, cooking over a fire, using a hole in the ground as our toilet, didn’t bathe for a lack of running water, and wore every layer of clothes we had to fight the cold. Now we at least had beds, a stove, a toilet that didn’t flush on its own, and less layers of clothes; but still no showers.
We were there to preach, give our testimonies, and lead worship; but one morning the Pastor came by and asked if we would go to some peoples’ homes to pray with them. We went to two homes that day.
The first home we went to belonged to the family of a man named Estaban. He told us about the pain he had in his head and how he had trouble seeing. He invited us into his home, and he knelt down on the ground as we surrounded him. The team started praying- some for healing for our new friend, some for the team to listen and receive what the Lord was speaking to us, some for Estaban to be receptive and have an open heart, and some against the attacks of the enemy. We prayed for him as many times as it took to see the Lord bring healing. After many prayers, we handed him a bible and the smile on his face confirmed everything we needed it to. He could see. What a beautiful thing that the first thing he could see clearly in a long time was the word of God.
While we were praying for this man, some people started to feel the presence of the enemy in and around the home. Estaban confirmed what they were feeling when he said that the enemy constantly attacked him in his dreams and in physical ways that caused pain and sickness. Some of the team walked around the home and prayed against the enemy while some prayed for protection for Estaban and our team. I prayed that as the enemy left that place that God would fill it and Estaban with the joy and fullness of Him. I prayed for his heart- that the well spring of life would be overflowing by the goodness of the Lord. The atmosphere changed as the enemy fled and the presence of God took over.
Once the presence of the enemy was no longer in the home, my teammate Trevor told me that I needed to go pray with the woman that was sitting alone on the bed. I went willingly, but the only thing I felt was fear and doubt.
I can’t do this on my own. Miracles have happened when my whole team prayed together. I don’t have what it takes, and I am only going to give this woman doubt.
The beauty of that moment was that none of the pressure was on me- it was all on God. I was right. I alone cannot perform miracles. God does, and he uses those who believe and are willing. But why was I the one God wanted to pray for this woman? She had been dealing with back pain that shot down her leg. Un-Coincidentally to God, I have the same problem. I have a bulging disc in my back that creates so much pain at times. I could relate to this woman- I could feel her pain, and I could go to God with complete understanding and confidence in what I was about to ask Him to do.
There was so much healing that day- physical, emotional, and spiritual. Nothing I say could fully express what God did and how excited He made us to do His work. The truth is, I’ve thought about this story for over 3 weeks now, but nothing does it or God justice. We left that home ready for God to do more. The physical healing is great, but the “more” I am talking about is healing of the heart. I’m ready to see God blow more people’s minds with what He can do, and for that to change the way they live their lives. I want to see God bring more people to salvation and to see His kingdom become “more”. The more I see God move, the more I want more. I don’t even fully know what that means, but I want it.
