So blessed that my sister and brother-in-love were able to come and
help Dad and me again today. Needed to go back to the Veterans
Administration medical center at Bay Pines St. Petersburg in order to
get a Cortizone shot for my knee. While waiting for the doctor to call
me I sat with several friends who are full veterans or family members.
I don't mean that they were people I knew already, they became friends
as we sat and talked. One of them was a Vietnam vet. One had taken part
in the operations in Iraq. And woman about my age was there to pick up
prescriptions for her 93-year-old father who had served World War II.
The
young man who had been on active duty for 10 years and served in the
Operation Iraqi Freedom The doctor had given him a hard time about
getting more pain meds and he was back for the second time in a week to
try to get some. There are definitely people who come to be seen who are
trying to get more pain meds and sometimes people are really scarmmimg
the system. I don't believe that he was. He was called to see the
physician over a little bit before I went back there. When he left I
asked him his name and told him that I would be praying for him.a
So if you feel good please pray for Chris. It's so hard to see
people in pain, and people who struggle with their injuries and
disabilities. Sometimes you just wish you could take the pain away, from
things that are visible and invisible.
A Vietnam era veterans named Tom, and the woman who was waiting to pick up
her 93-year-old father's prescriptions expressed that they were
faithful Christians, as well.
As we all talked
about God's love and faithfulness, I mentioned that I had been involved
in praying for healing for a long time. Then Tom said he had a pain in
his neck, and asked me to pray for him. Of course I said "Sure," and
asked if he also wanted to be anointed with oil, which is a physical
sign of the operations of the Holy Spirit when we pray for healing. He
said, "Yes, absolutely",
I asked the woman who
was waiting for her father's prescriptions if she would lay hands on
him and praying also. In the healing prayer ministry it's important when
teams of prayer ministers pray. So right there in the waiting room of
the walk-in clinic next to the pharmacy, we prayed and felt the presence
of the Holy Spirit in a powerful way. Then, when the woman who was
waiting for her father's prescriptions saw his name come up on the
board, she stood up to go get them saying that she left that I should
use the anointing oil on my knee as well.The Lord works wonders through
faithful prayer and went to a more organic in his name and he said he
would be his present in a special way.
A woman
sitting nearby who had been watching what had been happening said, "Not
just one to three or gathered together. He is with us all the time." Of
course that is true, but there is also an added element of connection
to the Holy Spirit when two or three are gathered in Jesus' name. It has
to do with connecting to Jesus authority and to that idea and practice
and ability to open channel to God's grace and peace when you pray in
Jesus' Holy Name. This is because of the promise that Jesus made that if
we ask in His name and believe, that He will give us what we ask for.
God works wonders in answer to prayers of believers. Faith is a gift.
When we receive it and use it we are able to receive God's blessing and
provision, and we know who to thank.
God is so
good and so faithful. Sometimes we don't have something that we want
from the Lord because we haven't really asked for it. He always knows
what we need but in order to receive his love and healing touch, we need
to ask so that we can open up a channel to receive whatever kind of
blessing He has for us.
This is what Jesus was
talking about when He said, "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and
you will find, Knock, and the door will be open for you," (Matthew 7:7)
Continue to bless and keep you and yours.
In Jesus' Holy Name I pray.
Alleluia! Amen.
