For some of us the very idea of praying for a stranger is enough to make us sweat. For others, it’s the idea of praying for a specific need or illness that causes us to quake. Specific “mountains” that make us wonder if our God is indeed big enough.
I had just dropped my daughter off for gymnastics and was headed for the grocery store that was nearby. My mission was to get our 5-gallon water jugs filled and make it back before my daughter started to miss me too much.
I grabbed a cart that was in the parking lot, threw my empty jugs in and rolled into the store. It wasn’t too long before I was distracted by all of the snacks and went searching for something to satisfy my craving for junk.
With my mind on candy I turned down an isle and immediately noticed a friendly looking man standing next to a young boy in a motorized wheelchair. I knew two things right away. First that the boy couldn’t walk and second that it was a result of some sort of horrible debilitating disease.
I approached them not intending to stop but I did say hello to the man who glanced at my shirt (I was wearing a shirt that said “Jesus” on the front with a Facebook “like” icon next to it) looked at me smiling and said hello back.
I made it about 10 steps past them when I felt the Holy Spirit stir and His soft voice say, “I want you to pray for that boy”. I responded by putting my head down and trying to ignore what I’d just heard.
I’ve seen God do some really awesome things. I’ve even seen Him raise the dead. But there was something about praying for someone in a wheelchair that just scarred me. I’d never prayed for anyone in a wheelchair before and God not only wanted me to pray for someone in a wheelchair, but a child in a wheelchair!
I spent the next 10 minutes wandering aimlessly around the store arguing with God and trying to make sure it was God I was hearing telling me to pray for the boy instead of my own imagination. Every I asked Him if he was sure I heard the answer, “Yes”. It wasn’t just the words, “Go and pray” but the feeling inside of me as if the words I’d heard had mass and were sitting directly on my heart. I knew what God wanted me to do.
So I finally gave in and looked for them. I found that they had left the store and were almost to their car. I picked up my pace hoping to catch them before they left all the while asking God how in the world He wanted me to approach this.
I reached them just about the same time the answer came. I introduced myself and told the man that I was trying to show the love of Jesus to those around me the best that I could and asked him if I could pray for them. His face lit up and said, “Of course” and introduced me to his nephew.
I knelt down and asked him if I could put my hand on his shoulder. He told me I could. Then I quickly asked the Lord to show me how to pray and prayed the words that came to me. I prayed for healing and some other things. When I was finished I asked the boy if he felt anything. He said that he did but he wasn’t sure that he could describe it.
I smiled and stood up to pray for the man with words that God gave me. When I was finished his gratitude showed in his expression. He thanked me and told me they really needed that. I gave the man a hug and left with a full heart.
The boy didn’t get out of the wheelchair that day but God’s presence was undeniable. When we are being led by God there is nothing to fear. We must be able to look at the “giants” in our lives and recognize what Caleb did-They are big, but our God is bigger.
Blessings,
Jesse and Kara Birkey
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