As You Go… Home!

The other day ago I was on my way home from work. Just about a ½ mile from my house I spotted a woman at a 4 way stop. She was older looking and the look on her face was simply “bewildered”. She looked confused and upset, almost acting like she was unsure about crossing the street. I motioned her across the street, assuring her that I would let her go if she wanted. But she just looked at me. I rolled down the window and asked her, “Are You Ok?” She started babbling something about going to the pawn shop for grocery money or something and I could barely understand what she was talking about. As she was talking, tears started to run down her face and she was very obviously upset. I asked her if she needed a ride and she didn’t respond. I just opened my door and said, “Get in”.

So she gets into the car and I settle her down telling her that it’s going to be ok. I asked her, “Where are you going?” She just whispered, “Home”. I asker her, “Ok, where is home?” “That way” she pointed down the street. I said, “All right, I’m going to take you home, just tell me what’s going on, you look upset”. After she took a couple of deep breaths and started to calm down she explained that she had just walked a couple of miles from her home to pawn a bracelet and a necklace to buy grocery money. She told me that her social security check was late and she was out of grocery money. More than that, she was in severe pain as she had osteoarthritis and shouldn’t even be walking. Apparently, her doctor had suggested that she should use one of those motorized wheelchairs to get around in as she wasn’t fit to walk more than a few feet. I asked her if there was anything else bothering her and she told me, “Well, I have colon cancer”. It was quite advanced and she was experiencing some terrible symptoms and in constant pain.

We’re driving to her house, only a few miles from where I live. I start by telling her, “Honey, today is a good day for you!” I can’t help but smile and she is looking at me like I’m crazy! She can’t understand why I could smile in the face of her many terrible diseases and circumstances. But I know something she doesn’t! The Kingdom is here, at hand, in the car with both of us. The King is here! I said, “There couldn’t have been a better person in the world to stop and give you a ride home!” She says, “Ok…” so I told her, “let me explain”. I tell her, “I’m a believer and...” She interrupts me saying, “Oh, I’m a Christian, I go to church whenever I can, but without a car it’s pretty difficult…” I jump in and say, “Hold on now, and let me finish my sentence.” She sits quietly in the seat and hushes up for a second.

I continue, “I’m a believer and this is a great day for you! It’s a great day because I am the answer to your problems!” Now she’s sure I’m nuts. So I said, “Listen, God is with me and He’s here to take care of your problems.” She just smiled politely. At this point, we’re driving up the driveway of her run down home in a run down neighborhood. She tries to get out of the car, saying “Thank You” and I stopped her. I told her, “Listen; there is a cost for your ride home.” She looks at me in shock and starts telling me, “I have no money; I don’t know how I’ll pay you…” I said, “No, not money, the cost of the ride is that you allow me to pray for you!” She lets out a huge sigh of relief and says, “Ok”.

So I start interviewing her, asking her what the symptoms are of her Osteoarthritis. I have her check to see her mobility and ask her what her pain level is, “0 is absolutely pain free and 1 is excruciating pain, where are you?” Without hesitating, she says, “A 10!” She reminds me that she shouldn’t be walking, yet today alone, she’s walked several miles to the pawn shop. “So, standing her right now you are in blinding, excruciating pain?” “Yes!” she says. I take 1 minute to explain to her the Kingdom of Heaven being at hand. I tell her that in Heaven there is no colon cancer or osteoarthritis and that Jesus told us to pray that His Kingdom would come and His will be done. If that Kingdom is done in her body, all pain will go!

I look her dead in the eyes and say, “Watch this!” I reach out my hands and grab hers and I firmly say, “In the name of Jesus I command all pain to go! Heaven come into this body!” I literally feel the power of God shoot out of me into her and she jumps back with eyes wide open! The look on her face was absolutely priceless! She screams, “What did you do!!?” I start laughing and ask her, “What just happened?” She said, “I felt a surge go through me!” I said, “Where’d the pain go?” She started to examine herself and look for the pain and said “It’s gone!” I replied, “Really? Then if you have no pain, check yourself, what can you do?” She started to do stuff that she could not do just a couple minutes before, back bands, moving her neck, reaching down to touch her toes, etc. She just started weeping and couldn’t speak, so I asked her again, “Where’d the pain go?” She said, “All the pain left when the goose bumps came!” (You can’t make this stuff up!) I told her, “Jesus just healed you; His Kingdom came into your body!” She started thanking the Lord and then quickly said, “Do it again!” I prayed for her a couple more times and each time she got hit by the Presence of God harder and harder!

I emptied my wallet and gave her what money I had. By the time I left, her financial needs were met, her physical needs were met and she was as happy as she could be! The Kingdom of God had come near her!