I see the old man, while I am sitting at the front of the line at a red traffic light. He is hunched over his walker as he slowly and deliberately crosses the street in front of me. He is obviously in pain. I remember the man I did not pray for last week. I pray from my driver’s seat. Lord, bless that man. If you give me the opportunity to pray for him, I will not pass it up. The light changes and I head to my errand not far away.
I go into Walgreens and pick up my photos. Walking out, pulling out my photos to look at them, I see him. I see the old man with the walker. I go out the exit door and turn right around, following him in the entrance.
A few steps from the entrance I get his attention. He seems to be surprised. I soon learn that he is used to being invisible, ignored, or worse.
I ask him if he would like me to pray for him. He pulls aside slowly, his ailing body impeding his movements. Happily, he says, “Yes, please!” We exchange greetings and names, and we move aside a bit to evade any direct foot traffic.
Getting to the business of prayer, I ask him if there is any sort of trauma that brought on his pain and injuries. Not expecting that question, he paused for a moment. His reply stunned me. “Yes. When I was eight years old, I was hit by a truck.”
He has suffered ever since.
My heart sank with compassion and soared with hope at the same time. After declaring my prayers in the name of Jesus, I cursed the trauma he has endured. The Lord began to show me the surgeries, the extended time in hospitals. He has endured the life long, physical, and emotional pain, even to the point of bullying.
I asked the lord to erase the cellular memories throughout his body and more. Holy Spirit kept telling me to let him know that God sees him and loves him. So, I spoke it to and over him several times.
He did not experience much difference at the moment, but he did begin to stand taller. And the knowledge that our Creator sees him, brought at least a half smile to his face and some ease to his countenance.
Then another Holy Spirit nudge came to me. He needed to be sure he had a relationship with Jesus. It turns out he goes to a church, but had yet to begin a personal relationship with Jesus. After sharing the Gospel with him, he clearly wanted that relationship. We prayed together and chatted some more.
Please pray for him. Please pray I can connect with him again. There is a lot more freedom and healing available to him.
For me, this is like breaking through an old crusty layer. I sense a fresh wind in my sails. For too long I did not pray for Holy Spirit boldness. That changed recently. Now, I am beginning to look for opportunities. By the grace of God, my new acquaintance represents the beginning of increasing fruitfulness for the Kingdom, for both of us.
I see the old man. Who will I see next?
Abba, Thank you for never giving up on us. And for the multiple opportunities you give us to become more like you. Your God breathed life is what we really hunger for when we get right down to it.
Available from all major distributors:
Amazon; Barns and noble; Christian Books; Wipfandstock.com
