By Ms. Sasha
The symbols crashed.
The drum was fast and steady.
The sound of the choir resounded. Yet, it had all turned into one big mush for Janice who had to stand next to the speaker at church.
The throbbing in her head had intensified so badly, that Janice wasn’t able to withstand the music any longer. She had to escape now and knew exactly where to go: The ladies’ bathroom. There was a sofa in there.
By the time I came into the restroom, Janice was slumped over the arm of the sofa and surrounded by four older women. One was rubbing her back while the other three searched their purses for medicine.
“I already took something, and it didn’t help,” Janice whispered.
I could tell the pain was severe. Then I heard some talk of not knowing what to do and a mention of getting a cold towel.
I wanted to help too.
I turned around and asked if anyone had prayed over her yet. A few ladies responded with a coy smile and answered, No.
The entire moment felt like a “Come to Jesus Moment,”… like the ones you have in the break room at work; except this one was literal.
Eager and full of faith, I laid my hand on Janice’s forehead and asked God to heal her, quoting Isaiah 53, “With his stripes, she is healed,…..Be healed in Jesus’ name.”
I couldn’t believe I had just done that – prayed for a stranger. I experienced my mother praying over me in childhood, but I think I had attributed her boldness to a personality trait of hers. But, there I was, doing what I had seen, and I was confident that God would take away her pain.
“Are you okay?” I asked Janice. “Yes. My…headache is gone. It just left… suddenly.”
Hallelujah.
By this time, a few other ladies were cycling through the restroom, and we all began to praise and thank God. We had missed the rest of praise and worship in the Sanctuary, but today, this definitely fit the bill.
God had shown us his power that day. We had seen Jesus in action right there in the ladies’ room, and at that moment, a scripture I had learned during childhood resounded in my conscience: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”(Matthew 19:26 NIV)
….20 years later, sitting high up at a pub table on a stool without a back, I found myself slumped over with a throbbing headache. I was out celebrating my daughter’s last basketball game of the season at her favorite pizzeria. Such bad timing.
No time is a good time for a headache, but being out with family instead of at home alone was different. I wanted to engage. I was expected to engage; but couldn’t.
I just sat there with my eyes closed, hoping the waiter wouldn’t be talkative when they came by. Overstimulated and underfed, my distress gave me away, leading my mother and sister to begin scrambling through their purses for painkillers.
There was none.
Just like in the episode 20 years ago, Jesus was making himself obvious again.
Then, without any prompting, my mother raised her voice and prayed for me with the spirit of thunder. There were no questions after that. Healing was a done deal.
After the prayer, I smiled at her coyly and my eyes lit up. God was showing me something special. The headache had left, but something else became apparent.
God’s gift, perhaps of faith or healing, was present in my family. A gift that had been used sparingly, but now was worth the time to invest in and pursue more of.
This is the grace God gave us, and it was proving to move from generation to generation.
I’m not sure if I would have learned how to call on Jesus for healing if I hadn’t seen such acts of faith demonstrated by my mother in childhood.
It is a revelation that brings me a smile. Paul reminds Timothy of this very thing in 2 Timothy 1:5 (NIV). He says,
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”
Who was your Godly influence and what are they doing today?
What lessons did you learn from them that can still be applied?
In what ways can you pass on faith and help the next generation cultivate and develop their gifts?
“We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.” (Psalm 78:4 NIV)
For a deeper dive into powerful prayer, check out the article on “4 Ways to Pray More Effectively.”