"they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." - Jesus in Mark 16:18(b)
This week I started teaching my kids’ group (5-8 year olds) about healing in the name of Jesus. It’s a simple format: we read from the Word, see what Jesus did, and respond. To respond we needed people who needed healing in their bodies. So I grabbed a couple guys who are a part of our church family and needed healing to come into my class and let us pray for them. It was a success and a good starting point. Sunday was my day of the month to teach children’s church. And, when thinking on what God might like to do, I felt led to continue what I had started this week. So when Sunday morning came I announced to the congregation that if they were looking for a miracle in their bodies and wouldn’t mind being our guinea pigs, the kids and I were going to be praying for healing back in the classroom.
To be honest, I was worried. I figured no one would be willing to step out of their comfort zone like that. But to my surprise, 5 adults joined us to be prayed for. Here’s what happened…
One man had an injured toe and found it really painful to walk on – healed. Flexibility restored and everything.
A woman came in with a migraine. We laid our hands on her head and it left. Completely pain free!
A man (now this one I was going after like it was personal) had one leg significantly shorter than the other. I sat across from him, holding his outstretched legs by the feet and watch the shorter leg grow out right in my hands!
Another man had a torn rotator cuff in his left arm and couldn’t lift it up in the air without assistance from his other arm. Healed! After we prayed he stood up and raised his arm as high as it could possibly go without any pain!
One last guy we prayed for had severe pain in his knee whenever he would try to turn. We prayed and his knee had no pain when he turned to test it out.
The presence of Jesus was heavy in the room. The image in my mind of a bunch of us adults bouncing around, celebrating what God was doing, still makes me laugh.
I am overwhelmed by the kindness Father is showing us.
"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give." - Jesus in Matt 10:8
- Olivia Wantz 9-25-11
