It all started with a run. Carla, Joelle and I decided to run to the infamous Pigeon Rock on our morning off. For all my Michiganders, this structure reminds me indefinitely of Pictured Rocks in Munising—sitting righteously just off the shore, towering over the water with beauty.
We left the hostel early in the morning and ran along the ocean until we arrived at the beautiful rock structure. After enjoying a quick break, we started running back to the hostel. We settled in, enjoying the coastline view of the ocean, trying to find our running legs again. As we settled into a rhythm, we chatted back and forth. Breaking through with urgency, Carla said, “You guys, there’s a woman back there that we need to pray for”. Hearing what she was saying, we turned stopped running and turned around looking for the woman she was speaking of. My eyes were then open to a woman crossing the road, or more accurately, hobbling across the road. This woman was in serious pain. It was apparent in her gait, her facial expressions and the way she was holding her body as she staggered across the road.
We turned back and started jogging over to her. By the time we arrived to her she was stopped in the median, between two busy roads. We introduced ourselves and learned that this woman’s name was Halima. For the last fifteen years she struggled with back pain, her sacral spine fusing together in various locations. She stated that for the last week she was having difficulty eating and sleeping because the pain was so severe. She was nearly in tears telling us this as the pain was so intense.
We told her that we were Christ followers and believed that Jesus could heal her. We asked her if we could pray for her. We asked if we could pray for Jesus to heal her back right there in the median. She eagerly agreed. As we all laid hands and ask asked God to touch here. As we interceded, Halima’s body began to convulse and tremble. She was overwhelmed and began to weep. We held tightly to her shoulders and back. After we finished praying, we asked her how her back was feeling. She declared through tears, “I feel comfortable..now if only my heart could be healed.”
“If only my heart could be healed”—what did she mean? As we continued chatting in the median, we learned more of Halima’s story. She had grown up knowing of Jesus, but many painful things had driven her away. She had been hurt, was angry, disappointed and had slowly fallen away from faith in Jesus. She was searching for liberation. She was desperately searching for healing and wholeness—for more than just her back pain.
We asked if we could pray for her again—prayers of liberation. Prayers for Jesus to come and heal the brokenness and restore love back to her heart. As we all laid hands on her again, we asked the Holy Spirit to come and heal her heart. As we finished praying, she was beaming. She excitedly said, “Now my heart could fly. I haven’t felt this peace in years! I cannot wait to tell my daughter about this.” She had decided to give her heart back to Jesus.
Healing. What a topic. In the last months, God has been teaching me a lot about healing. Jesus has the authority to heal. But, he is always showing me His authority comes for heart transformation. It’s not about the prayer or person praying, but about the God who is listening and acting with authority. God encountered Halima. And forever, she will never forget the morning that she went out to get coffee and left without back pain, her heart full of new life.
Healing is for encounters. Healing is supernatural, but it’s also a normal part of what it means to be a disciple of Christ. Jesus commands his followers to “go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation…..in my name they will cast our demons; they will speak in tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Matthew 28). The disciplines were commanded to perform these signs for one purpose. To proclaim the gospel. Miracles were not by their doing, nor for their glory or from earthly power. Jesus said, “IN MY NAME”, instructing the disciples for physical encounters as a means of heart change. Hearts are being changed through healing. Halima’s heart was changed as she encountered a Jesus who cared so deeply and touched her so powerfully. In His name, she was healed. Her back and her heart. She encountered Jesus in the median of a busy road. And because of this powerful experience, her view of Jesus has forever changed.
When we left the hostel that morning, I wasn’t thinking about healing. I was thinking about how beautiful the ocean was and, honestly, the fresh avocado and mango that were waiting for me at the hostel. But as God nudged Carla to stop and continued to nudge each of us throughout the encounter, I was reminded again that our mandate as Christ followers is not compartmentalized. Meeting Halima didn’t require anything special from us. It was a simple pause and willingness to open our eyes to what God was doing. The encounter happened and was so impactful not because of us, but because of God’s touch and pursuit.
As this journey continues, healing continues to be a mystery. The dichotomy of our broken world is evident— brokenness, pain, darkness contrasting against light, hope, restoration, the victory of Jesus. Sometimes there is miracle, other times there is no miracle and the pain of this world is still present. I don’t know why, but in both situations, there is a clear invitation to faith and obedience. This creates an opportunity to share about what it means to believe in the authority of Christ. Healing is beyond our realm, but when we call ourselves follows of Christ, He invites us into places that He dwells.
I can only praise God for the way that He touched Halima. I can only praise God for the life that was restored to her heart. Just when you think your fading six out of ten miles into a run, God will remind you how extravagant his love is. And as we watched Halima walking away from the median towards her car, pain free, all we could do is praise God and tear up. God’s encounters are for heart change. And that’s just what we saw this morning.
Are you living into the authority that God has given you?
Have you made yourself available to be interruptible today?
Do you believe God can heal both body and soul?
