On Sunday 1st June 2014 God showed up to me in a way that he had never done so before. At church that evening my vicar, Archie Coates, spoke on the topic of healing.
I have never doubted that God heals. I have read about countless healings in the bible – but I was yet to witness a healing. In fact when I’d asked for healing previously I felt let down, disappointed and unworthy when God failed to materialise on his promise.
At the end of his talk Archie invited people to the front if they had something they wanted prayer for, I wanted to go up, but I felt reluctant.
I had suffered with Achilles tendinitis for nearly five years and any sort of impact on my Achilles was incredibly painful. Even walking long distances would make my right Achilles ache beyond reason. I had seen a physio and even had steroid injections but all of these solutions were temporary and eventually the pain would get increasingly worse again. It had got to the point where I was so used to the dull ache in my Achilles that sometimes I forgot it was there – until I would overdo it in the gym. I had to give up running outside because the impact of running on concrete was too much and instead took up cycling where there is less impact.
As I stood there facing a battle of whether or not I should go up a few people started going up with words, one girl had the word ‘tendon’ and I was like
‘Alright God, you win, I will go up and be prayed for’
I was so nervous walking up to the front of the church; I had never gone up for prayer at this church before and felt really apprehensive. As this woman started praying for me I felt a tingling sensation in my right ankle and Achilles as the dull ache which I had experienced for years started to fade away completely.
Since then I have started to run outside again, only relatively short distances of 5/6km but it is amazing to be able to do that and not suffer afterwards.
When Jesus healed in the bible, he did so as a sign. God’s timing is always perfect. He provides things in your life that shake you – so that you turn to him, the unshakeable one. If he had healed my Achilles when I first asked him to my appreciation wouldn’t have been so great because I hadn’t been suffering with the pain for so long. I would have never had to give up all the exercise I was doing and when your life is stable you are less likely to rely on God and ask him for things. When you ask, you receive. Even though I’d had prayer for my Achilles before I wasn’t really asking God to heal it, I hadn’t made myself vulnerable.
That Sunday at church was the beginning of a campaign on healing – I was asked to record a video clip of what had happened to me which the church used on their social media sites. The local paper saw the video clip on Twitter and asked if they could interview me. When I went up for prayer I could have never imagined that God would use my story outside of my church.
This experience has taught me so much about being more open with what God is doing in my life and sharing the good news he brings!
We should get stuck into healing
Ready – If we are going to be used by God we have to make ourselves ready to take up any opportunity.
Steady – We have to pick up on the subtlety and uniqueness of opportunities. Listen to the nudges of the Holy Spirit, God is in every minute of every hour – always presenting opportunities.
Go – God gives us power when we need it, we are empowered as we step out and pray. God will not anoint you first – stretch out and pray for someone first then you will see what God can do. God uses us outside of our comfortable zone because otherwise it’s not his power it’s ours. I am so excited to being going outside of my comfortable and into the mission field where his power will shine through me!
“Jesus said, your faith has healed you” Mark 10:52
Watch the video clip:
Listen to Archie speak on healing here:
