pain is closer than it seems.

30.07.10 -Shepton Mallet, England-
This 'divine' encounter opened my eyes a bit and I realized that it can apply to everyone of us at one level or another. The event occurred during an intercessory prayer workshop while attending the New Wine convention in Somerset, England. The speaker of the workshop was from Nigeria and has been called to the UK since '92 or so.. man he's got a love for the cross-cultured people of England and a passion to see God move among the universities here! God's Spirit was definitely present and this man spoke and prayed with intensity. 

In the middle of the meeting, we were told to turn to our neighbor and ask, 'Do you believe? Do you believe God moves through prayer!?' I asked my neighbor, H, and she very honestly looked into my eyes and says, 'I don't know if I believe it. I don't know if anything really changes with prayer.' I could see the pain in her eyes and the longing to know that God hears her, that God acknowledges her existence and her needs.

God immediately put the burden on my heart to pray with her and for her after the meeting. I did- I snagged her before she left. We talked to God, right then and there. I encouraged her that God does indeed hear her prayers and that He is not a distant God at all- in fact He was present right then and there ( one of God's names is 'Jehovah Shammah' after all, which means the Eternal Present One ). We prayed a good prayer of which I won't mention all the details, and we parted ways.

The aspect that touches me is this; we were in the middle of a Christian convention and this woman wasn't even sure if God heard her prayers! Nothing against her, this is quite common. Sadly, Christians themselves have a hard time believing just how BIG God is and how NEAR God lives. I realize just how much of a need there is to reach into the community around me- to those who haven't heard and to those that have. I can't assume that one has their life together and their faith is perfect because they believe in Jesus as their Maker and God... no, this would be ignorant. I believe in Jesus and He as my maker and my life is nowhere remotely near perfect. Satan roams as a lion seeking to devour (1 Peter 5:8), more so those that belong to God. This is where I need to reach out to those nearest to me; at the climbing gym, in cafes, and on a trek. More often than not, they're the ones in need of prayer, of healing, and someone to listen to their struggles. So let's listen, let's comfort, and let us encourage one another, that those who see will know that we belong to Jesus, because of our love.