Hurting or Serving, Part III
I sat glued to my seat, attending our monthly evening healing prayer service in June 2012. I’m a healing prayer minister at my church but I wasn’t assigned to pray that evening. It had been a rough few weeks as my joint pain and leg cramps had gotten worse. The most likely cause was a drug I’d been taking to prevent a recurrence of breast cancer. My left leg was getting weaker and I hadn’t been able to sleep well in months.
I wanted to go forward for healing prayer, but my thoughts were stopping me:
1. “Everyone will know that you are sick and wonder what’s wrong”
2. “People will think you are too “needy” and call you a “whiner”
3. “You should be ashamed to ask for healing when other people have real problems, like cancer”
4. “You’re a healing prayer minister; if you go forward people will think that healing prayer doesn’t work”
5. “You’ll go forward and not be healed immediately; it will show you that God doesn’t love you after all.”
I tried sorting out the words and then realized that it was Satan putting those thoughts in my head!
Then I remembered Jesus’ question in John 5:6—“Do you want to get well?” and the answer was “Yes, I do”. That Scripture verse was enough to launch me out of my chair and go forward where two people prayed for my physical healing and my forehead was anointed with healing oil. Although I wasn’t physically cured that night, I still experienced great comfort to have friends invoke their relationship with God to help me. They were beautiful prayers and I felt loved.
I have a hard time admitting that my life isn’t perfect, that I can’t handle everything myself and that I am dependent upon relationships in my life. I need to be more confident in trusting God through life’s ups and downs, particularly when I am experiencing pain. It is wonderful to have friends to pray for me when I’m having a “hurting” day and need to be comforted.
“Do I want to get well?”
“You bet.”
Can you join me, my friend? Our next evening healing prayer service is at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, September 26th at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Nashville. You can sit and enjoy the beautiful music and message and go forward for prayer and anointing, if you choose.
I’ll be there to welcome you!
Blessings,
Agatha