A Fresh, New Perspective
Jul 31, 2022 | by The Fellowship
On Saturday, July 9th, I was busy tackling the chore of organizing my garage. Things were going well until I bent down to pick up something -- and in an instant, my lower left back pinched! Not just a twinge, but so bad that I could hardly walk. The pain was shooting down through my left leg. No longer able to stand; I had to sit down immediately. It did not take me long to realize this pain was not going away any time soon!
The following 24 hours were very difficult. Just try to make a two-year-old understand that Daddy cannot pick her up! I also had a trip planned up north with family in just three days that involved a lot of golf. We are a golfing family, and it is what we do when we get together. It is rare these days that my father, my two brothers, and I can all align our schedules to plan one of these events. In fact, four years ago was the last time that we made it happen. No way did I want to cancel at the last minute, but believe me, I was very anxious about having to sit through a plane ride -- let alone golfing -- in the condition my back was in!
The next morning, I went to worship service at The Fellowship. It was difficult standing during worship to praise the Lord, and I had to be very careful when sitting back down. Pastor Robert preached a wonderful message that day (per usual). During the closing worship song, my wife and I left to start the process of collecting our kids.
I was waiting for my wife in the lobby when I saw Pastor Robert. An interesting thing is that I rarely see any of the pastors in the lobby until after the closing worship song is done. I was over by the stairs trying to stretch my painful back. He came over to ask me if everything was all right. I told him the story, including my worries about the upcoming trip in a couple of days.
“Could I pray for you?” he asked.
Now, I am a believer in the power of prayer! However, I must admit to always having been a bit skeptical on healing prayers -- at least ones answered with relative immediacy. Pastor Robert put his hand on my back and said a heartfelt prayer. Within minutes, the sharpness of the pain faded to tolerable levels.
The next couple of mornings, I was still sore and cautious with my movements. However, by the time I stepped off the plane on Tuesday, I had ZERO back pain. The family golfing event was a very blessed time.
It has been a few weeks now and I am still overcome with a genuine joy and peace when I think about that answered prayer. I am deeply grateful for Pastor Robert; however, I know it was fully the work of the Holy Spirit. Pastor Robert was the gold-plated conduit for the Spirit to do His healing work in me.
Simply put, it was a powerful and, in a way, life-changing event! It has given me a fresh new perspective on the power of prayer.
This story may not seem like that big of a deal! However, to me it is a spiritual lighthouse that proclaims the goodness of our God. As a result, I have been filled with a certain spiritual strength and confidence never before known to me!
M. F.
Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
Psalm 107:8