Is the life you’re living worth the price He paid for it?
Nope.
This was the question our squad mentor, Jeremy, asked us at our recent Month 6 Debrief in Serbia. Here I am on an 11 month mission trip around the world, knowing my identity in Christ, helping build up the Kingdom of God and sharing the Gospel in many ways, yet I have ignored the voice of the Holy Spirit for months in regards to a particular area. I have not given Him my all. I’ve given a lot, but not my all. Not like Jesus did. He gave everything, holding nothing back.
The particular area I am referring to is the area of praying for healing for people. I’ve been holding back. Now, you should know that I believe that miracles happen every day. I believe that Jesus can heal people and wants to heal people. I believe this because I have seen it with my own eyes, many times. One time should be enough, but even after multiple instances I somehow manage to question/fear/doubt if He would do it again. Why do I do this?! It’s so dumb.
I refuse to walk in fear and let my life for Him be lessened any more though. I have already wasted enought time and silently let too many people pass me on the streets with crippled legs or crutches. I made a decision last week that when the Holy Spirit said to pray for someone, I would do it. And whether I saw a miracle happen in that moment or not, I would continue to pray for others.
Jesus tells His disciples:
“Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!” (Matthew 10:7-8)
He literally tells us to go heal people…and no, this wasn’t just for the disciples in case you were questioning that.
And if you have been following my journey through my blogs since month 1 in Chile, you know Jesus teaches his disciples to pray things like
“Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.“
K cool.
So, like I said, last week I committed this area that I was lacking faith/action in to God, and then we had the opportunity to go out into Belgrade, Serbia to intentionally listen to His voice on what He wanted to do in that city.
I went out into the city with my squadmate, Edna, who was actually walking through the same conviction as I was at the time. Here she writes a beautiful recap of what happened on our night together through her lenses…which includes a man handing us his crutches after praying for him. Worth the read. Fa sho.
So now…
Today, days after crossing borders into Romania and settling into a new ministry in the middle of Alba Iulia, Romania, the Lord led me to pray for a man named Constantine.
We were walking around the BEAUTIFUL city center with flyers to invite people to come to free English classes we would be hosting. This would allow for relationship building and making connections between them and the church we are working with. Just as we were leaving, I noticed I was walking next to a man who was kind of shuffling as he walked, and clearly not walking normally.
I asked if he spoke English, but He didn’t.
Praise God, our friend Zsolt was with us and was helping translate. Through Zsolt’s help, I asked Constantine if he had pain in his legs.
He explained he had rheumatoid from an accident he had been in and it affected his back which affected his legs. I hope that is the right word he used, but I could be mistaken. I asked if he believed that Jesus could heal, and he proceeded to explain how he could have died from what happened so he knew it was only God that kept him alive.
Wow. How awesome.
I then asked if I could pray for him. He said yes, and Zslot translated as I prayed out loud with my hand on Constantine’s back.
When I finished praying, Constantine gave me a hug and his whole demeanor had changed. He hugged me again and repeatedly said thank you. It was surprisingly evident that he had really been touched by me simply praying for him and reminding him he was loved by Jesus.
From my knowledge, he was not instantly healed, but I am hoping maybe he will wake up tomorrow morning and he will be 100% healed. Either way, I know that God did something in him today, and I am so thankful He invited me to be a part of it.
But here is the thing…
I could have missed out. I could have kept walking. BUT Jesus didn‘t call us to live on the sidelines. He didn’t save this kind of thing for just our pastors to talk about on Sundays or for the missionaries to share. He called us to go be the hands and feet and get about the Father’s business! He came to give life and life ABUNDANT.
Please don’t miss this. I could have prayed for someone at home in Texas today, but for some reason God has me here right now. Wherever you are right now, God didn’t want you to sit on the sidelines. You can just as easily pray for the lady in front of you in the grocery line. It might be a little uncomfortable, but is that what we are going to say when we get to heaven…”well, God, I just didn’t know if they spoke English…I didn’t know if they would be offended…I was really uncomfortable.”
No wayyyyy. Of course He would still love us, but man would we be missing out.
Yall…
I’m done missing out. Let’s bring heaven to earth.
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Also, here is a picture of a cute puppy that a really nice family we met let us hold. 🙂 You’re welcome.
