When I signed up for the World Race, I expected it to be a year of miraculous healing’s. I expected to pray for the blind, and see their sight restored before my eyes. I expected to pray for those missing limbs, and then watch them ‘grow back” before my very eyes. I expected to be able to pray for the sick, and see them fully healed before me. I mean I clearly remember, standing in front of my home church congregation and verbally saying that I WOULD see the blind see, the deaf hear and the dead live again. Bold claims perhaps, but God has done it before so why not again?
Well, month 9 is wrapping up and I find myself asking,
‘Did I miss it? Did I miss God ‘showing up’ and performing His wonders?’ Were MY eyes closed to it? Was my faith not strong enough?”
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.
As I mentioned in the last post, this month has consisted of a LOT of different bible studies at different homes of church members. The women on my team, along with April and two local youth, would either walk to the house or take a tricycle (local transport). Once there, we would be led in Tagalog worship and prayer. When that was done, depending on who was asked to share, it was our turn to speak.
The first night, I shared on one of my favourite passages of scripture, Psalms 139. Oh I should also add that, we had this bible study under the evening stars, lit up by headlamps and the flashlight app on my phone due to a schedule power outage. I felt like God was reminding me of the love that He has for His Children and it was something that I needed to share. Ironically, this became a theme throughout this month. Once I was done sharing, April asked if there was any prayer requests. The lady of the home brought up three things.
1) A visa for her son to stay in Kuwait
2) A successful surgery on her, unbelieving, husband’s knee.
The doctors were wanting to put a brace in his leg, to relieve the pain and make it so he could walk.
3) That her husband would accept Jesus
Fulfilling our Christian, ‘Missionary duty’- we bowed our heads, folded our hands and prayed for those things then and there. Knowing that they had been praying for the above 3 (especially number 3) for quite some time, I was skeptic that God would actually answer one of them while we were here, let alone all of them…
We went back the following week for another bible study, and once again, the request remained the same. In my mind, I thought to myself that, “this is pointless, I mean we healing for another member of the church. A sick, old dying lady…yet we are attending her viewing after this bible study. God, that would have been a ‘prime time’ for You to have displayed Your power”.
So once again, fulfilling my Christian, ‘Missionary duty’- I bowed our heads, folded my hands and prayed for those things then and there…
Guess what…
GOD ANSWERED NOT ONLY ONE OF THEM…
BUT ALL THREE!!!!!!!!!
I got word the other day, that this women’s son GOT HIS VISA that he needed so he could stay in Kuwait. Alright God, answer to prayer number one!
Then God decided to humble me even more…
The day of the husbands surgery, the doctors wanted a second opinion and proceeded to take an X-Ray of the area.
Get this…
he ended up NOT EVEN NEEDING TO HAVE THE SURGERY.
Yep, that’s right…
GOD HAD STRAIGHT UP 100%
HEALED HIS BODY!!!!!!
No Surgery needed and the doctors didn’t know why!!
That’s not even the coolest part.
This past Friday, God ‘broke’ this man. After years of praying for his salvation, his wife got her prayer answered. Her husband accepted the LORD as his OWN PERSONAL SAVIOUR.
His wife mentioned that when he asked, he was in tears. That is how much God humbled this man. God took a sinner, an alcoholic with a bad temper, and made him complete in Him. The freedom that you and I experience in Christ, THIS man is now living in.
Scripture says that when one sinner repents, Angels rejoice.
ANGELS REJOICED THAT EVENING
When I came on this trip, I expected miracles. I expected the supernatural to happen. I expected God to ‘blow my mind’ in His Mighty display of Power.
I didn’t expect a Filipino pastor couple to speak Truth into my life during the lowest point of my race. Nor did I expect a small, Filipino church, to encourage me and bless me in ways I cannot even begin to describe. I didn’t expect God to humble me in this way.
I share this story, not to say “I told you church”, or to take credit because we prayed the ‘perfect’ prayer…but to give GLORY to where its due.
TO GOD and GOD alone.
Period.
——————————————————————————————- We leave for Africa (and months 10 & 11) in less than a week. I honestly don’t know what to expect, but I DO know that GOD WILL continue to ‘show up’ in ways that I will not be expecting. I am excited to see how God will move through Swaziland. Lord, I am ready. Break my heart for what breaks Yours.
