Jesus heals a little girl in a restaurant queue
A family were just grabbing a late Sunday lunch at a restaurant. After finishing their burgers and fries the husband and his boys decided they wanted dessert and joined a queue. The family in front of them had a little girl who they noticed had a cotton ball protruding from her ear and it was clear she was in a lot of pain. Asking her dad what had happened, he learned she had a burst eardrum and wasn’t able to hear. They’d also been told by their doctor that she would need to wait to see the extent of the damage and whether her hearing would return.
Ryan told the little girl’s dad that he had just been at a Christian conference where he had seen lots of physical healings and asked if he could pray for her. The father glanced at his daughter to see if she was okay with prayer. She nodded and Ryan knelt down to her level and asked if she was in pain. She nodded. He said ” A lot of pain?” and again she nodded. Moved with compassion he and his son prayed for her healing.
They invited the Holy Spirit, declared Jesus’ love for little children and how he loves to heal. They then told the pain to go, commanding her ear to be healed and for all hearing to be restored in Jesus’ name. Immediately there was a dramatic change in her demeanour as she went from grimacing and withdrawing to being playful. The little girl confirmed her pain was completely gone AND how she could hear out of her ear again.! Ryan asked her if she knew who healed her. Shyly she pointed upwards.
Ryan said, “It’s so exciting to see God’s Kingdom breaking through while going about our ordinary lives”
Healing is a sign of the Kingdom and Jesus said ‘these signs will follow those who believe… they will lay their hands on the sick and they shall recover.’
When we’re intentionally looking for God’s Kingdom to break out that’s when the Holy Spirit loves to get our attention and we sometimes step into supernatural moments like these? One way I’ve noticed the Holy Spirit, getting my attention is when someone just starts talking to me out of the blue.
Jesus in the Hairdressers
The lady cutting my hair mentioned she had arthritis in her hands and feet and that she’d had it for years. She told me she didn’t want to rely on morphine patches but clearly, that’s how bad the pain was.
“It’s just something I have to live with,” she said. Whenever I hear a statement like that, righteous indignation rises up in me because I know that is exactly what the enemy wants people to believe. I asked if anyone had ever prayed for her before and she remembered someone once had but nothing had changed and I felt her disappointment. I began to tell her stories of people I had seen healed from arthritis and how Jesus loved her and wanted to heal her and I offered to pray. She listened but was quiet and then had to leave me to dry someone’s hair. I sat thinking how I would love to have been able to pray for her and to have seen what Jesus would have done.
Later as I was having my hair washed she suddenly asked from behind the sink, “Were you praying for me, I think you must have been praying for me because my hand is so much better. I was able to dry that lady’s hair without pain. It’s never felt this good. I hadn’t even got to pray but God was touching her. When we were back at my seat I said, “Give me your hand, I’d love to pray for it.” She said, “But it’s a lot better.” I said, “I know let’s pray all the pain goes in your hands and your feet.” She held out her hand and I prayed.
When it was time to leave I checked in with her and she said, “I’m amazed…this has never happened. I’ve never been without pain. She then told me how on her way to work that morning she had said out loud, “Not even an animal should have to go through this much pain!” I told her, “God heard your cry and he loves you.” She said, “Don’t, I’m going to cry”
I said, “On one of your Sundays off, why don’t you come to church?” She asked the times of the services and said, “I may well surprise you, it’s been a long time since I’ve been to church.”
What I saw again that day was as carriers of his Kingdom we can expect signs and wonders to break out wherever we go because his Kingdom is always near.
Photo by Tá Focando on Unsplash
Jesus in the Supermarket
Sometimes we may only have a small window of opportunity to share the love of Jesus with people. I was at the till in the supermarket when the lady at the checkout started telling me she had shoulder pain. I knew the Holy Spirit was getting my attention and so I asked her if she’d like me to pray for her. She smiled and said, “Yes please!” Leaning across I prayed a short prayer commanding all the pain to leave and then asked her how it was. She looked surprised and said, “It’s a lot better, and your hand was hot too.” I asked her if it was completely better and she said, “Yes, apart from a little bit of stiffness.” After praying once more and commanding all the stiffness to go she told me it was better and then asked if I had some kind of healing power. I told her that it was Jesus who had taken away her pain because He loved her. Her colleague then came across and she told her that ‘I had just done healing’ on her shoulder and her colleague replied, “Yes, I saw it!” I told them both again that it was Jesus and how He loved them. As the next customer came through I had to quickly pack my shopping and say goodbye and as I left, the lady kept thanking me.
Photo by Simon Kadula on Unsplash
Jesus at the shops
I was waiting to try clothes on in a shop, and the lady managing the changing rooms suddenly said to me, “I fell down the stairs last night, I don’t think I should have come to work today, I am in so much pain.” Recognizing this was a Holy Spirit moment I stepped out and told her I was a Christian, that I know Jesus loves to heal people, and offered to pray for her. She looked surprised and said, “That’s generous of you” and I remember thinking how generously God wanted to show her His love.
I asked if it was ok to lay my hand on her back and prayed a short prayer declaring the Father’s love for her and commanding all the pain to leave. She immediately commented that it felt a bit better and less stiff and I asked if I could pray some more. After praying a second time she looked at me with surprise and said, “It’s a lot better, all the stiffness has gone! How did you do that?” I said, “It wasn’t me, it was Jesus and He loves you so much, do you know Him?” She said something about remembering learning about God at school but then the changing room door opened and the conversation came to a close, as she had to deal with a customer. Even though I didn’t get to chat to her further I know that day His Kingdom drew near and she got to encounter the God who loves her and knew her physical need. God’s generous love and kindness!
Photo by Marcus Loke on Unsplash
Jesus in a Coffee Shop
For a couple of years, some friends and I had the amazing privilege of regularly praying for people in a coffee shop in our town. One Friday two ladies came into the cafe and, noticing one was hobbling, we asked her what was wrong and if she would like us to pray for her. She replied saying she’d had arthritis in her hips for many years and was sure we couldn’t do anything and stepping out in faith, I said, “Well we can’t, but Jesus can heal you!” I remember thinking what a bold statement I had just made but at the same time, I knew I believed it to be true. What followed was truly miraculous!
As soon as I laid my hand on her right hip Jesus took all her pain away, and she was so amazed that she turned to her friend and said, “You should let them pray for you!” Her friend was a little more skeptical. She suffered from back pain due to scoliosis and was in quite a bit of pain that day, having just stopped her medication due to it upsetting her stomach. My friend Tim then spoke up and told the story of how he had been miraculously healed of scoliosis, and even though she was still doubtful his prayers could change anything, she cautiously agreed to him praying for her.
As we asked her to check out her back to see if there was any change, she began saying she was sure there wouldn’t be but then had to interrupt herself as she felt a click in her back and realized all the pain had just left. We looked at one another in awe of what God was doing. Amazed by what Jesus had done for her it was now this lady who was asking if we could pray for her friend’s other hip and a thought popped into my head, Why not ask her to pray? She happily agreed and copying our words, prayed a simple prayer “Jesus please heal my friend, and take her pain away.” and that is exactly what Jesus did!!
That day two ladies who didn’t know Jesus or believe in His power walked into a coffee shop and encountered freedom from pain and we got to then sit and talk with them about who Jesus is. This is the good news of the gospel. As we lay hands on the sick we see God’s Kingdom released and Satan’s work demolished.