This is a story of True Love…
Many times we can get caught up in the day to day activities without once thinking about our God. Well I just want to start off by saying that there is not a second that goes by that Jesus is not thinking about us. His whole mission in coming down to earth was to bring redemption to his people. Will He not uphold you in your darkest hours? I am confident that Abba is always waiting for us to grab onto the freedom that He gives us. Even when you can’t take one more breath, He is right there saying,
“I won’t let go.”
With that being said, I want to tell you about the scandal of grace that has shifted my world and tell you that this hope is for you too.
Ever since I got to Guatemala I have been having back pain. It will come like a burning fire when I have been sitting or standing for too long, and it doesn’t go away. It can get pretty annoying because we are constantly on the floor or in plastic chairs or standing around the kitchen cooking together. When I first noticed the pain, I refused to let it control my heart and my actions so I began to push it aside. It still hurt, but I was not going to complain about it. I told myself, “it’s all part of the race.”
This past Thursday we had a meeting with our host and his wife about the ways that God speaks to us. It was wonderful! Who knew that The Father had so many ways to tell his kids He loves them? I was completely wrapped up in His presence when I noticed that my back started to hurt. At this point I was a little broken and all I wanted was for my back to be healed. I was tired of having this hindrance in my ministry and at home. So I wept and prayed “God if you really care and want me to be healed, Mirea (Luis’ wife) will come touch my back.” Hardly 7 seconds later she walks over to me and starts to pray in Spanish and rub my back….
THIS LOVE IS SO DEEP
All in one moment the Father took my heart and said “I won’t let go.”
And that’s not all! Later they asked for people to share their testimonies of the night and I shared this to the group. Right after I finished, my squadmate Krista’s hand shot up and she shared how during the night she felt this intense pain in her back. She did not know what to do, so she began to pray. Little did she know it was me she was praying for. Jesus wanted to show me that He see’s my pain. He used his daughter to talk to me.
Once more…. “I wont let go.”
After the whole night, Melvin, the Guatemalan man in charge of one of our ministries, came to me, and in his broken English, explained how he had this pain in his back that was almost crippling to his whole body. He said it started from his back and shot to his ears. So He Prayed…
I could not believe what I was hearing,
but then again I could.
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He, who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:31-32
As they prayed healing over my body that night, I slowly began to feel the gentle touch of Rapha himself. He does care. I think we just need to realize that He is not some distant slave driver who continually wants something from us. Sometimes He just wants us to be loved by him. He want’s to touch, and love, and heal. My prayer is that we, as children of the Most High God, can relax in his presence and find his true heart behind healing and restoration.
“Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”
Psalm 116:2
