May 2019

Please refer to Psalm 145:1-7 before or after reading this entry.  I am writing this a day after it occurred because Jesus told me to share. I wasn’t going to share this story. 

Over the last two months I’ve been experiencing a progressively increasing pain in my testicles, to the point that – at the end of the day – I am in so much pain, I just have to lay down.  I’ve been grumpy, fatigued and so sore I don’t want to walk.  My wife has been pushing that I go to the doctor. I usually have a very high threshold for pain, so for me to go to the doctor is a big deal.  I deny her requests for a month, but yesterday I break down and tell her “I have to go.” 

She calls our care provider and – as you are probably aware – it’s almost impossible to get an appointment without waiting for a couple weeks or months.  I am taken that day.  When I get there I’m waiting to be seen and a very large black woman sits directly in front of me with her back to me.  She’s talking loudly on her phone as I’m moaning in pain behind her.  She keeps looking over her shoulder when I moan, as if she’s thinking I’m being critical of her loud phone discussion.  I decide to speak to her when she gets off the phone because I don’t want her thinking I’m groaning in disgust toward her.  I ask her, “How are you?”  She replies sharply, “I’m in pain.” 

I agree that I too am in pain and I ask her what’s hurting her.  As she replies that her arm is hurting her Jesus whispers in my heart to pray for her.  So, I asked her if I can pray for her and she accepted kindly, surprisingly.  I kneel down on one knee behind her and put my hand on the arm she indicates is in pain.  When I started praying I can feel my hand throbbing and getting real hot as it does sometimes when I pray for people.  In the past, I have had others confirm that they too feel the sensation without me asking for confirmation. As I am praying for her arm she says quickly, “Pray for my leg too” to which I do.  As I am finishing the prayer, a nurse comes out of a door calling my name.  I immediately stand and walk straight to the door without looking back at the woman.  I hear her say “Thank you sir.”  To which I reply “You’re welcome.”  I don’t even know if she saw my face and I don’t remember hers, but that doesn’t matter.

When I get back to the doctor’s area, the nurse takes my weight, blood pressure, urine sample and so on.  When she asks me why I’m there I tell her and she asks me to rate my pain from 1 – 10.  I think to myself, “I don’t feel any pain right now” but I give her the rating I would have while sitting in the waiting area.  The Dr. comes in, does his thing and tells me< “I see no problems here. Also, the urine sample you gave shows no irregular symptoms.”  Long story short, I had no pain; it’s gone! And he can’t do anything for me. 

I leave the office and meet my family at the park (it was my youngest daughter’s birthday). I am still functioning as if nothing is wrong.  When I’m driving home I pull over and talk to Jesus about what happened. He reminds me of an evangelist I listen to a couple years prior. This man talks about a time he has to go to the hospital for an issue Jesus wouldn’t heal him of, only to pray for another person there and that person gets healed.  Wow! It’s a “carry my cross” kind of deal, where Jesus can put one in a position – even at his or her own detriment – to benefit another.  Isn’t that what the story of the cross is all about?  What’s amazing is that Jesus knew it would take me a month to go to the doctor, open an appointment the same day and time this woman is going to be there. For us to cross paths so she could get prayed for (Jesus confirmed to me she got healed too, BTW) is amazing!  Also, it’s like, after the mission is complete, I have no need for the pain any longer.  I am writing this the next day and still, no pain.  Whatsoever!  For you skeptics out there, who need proof; I have no proof, just faith in what Jesus tells me. That woman was healed that day…and so was I.  Amen.