A busy 2 hours this morning, with hardly a moment to draw breath!
This is the time of year when many kids haven’t yet gone back to school, because their parents / guardians don’t have the necessary fees, or can’t afford the uniform or books or fare. So we had many people today needing God to provide for them.
One lady who came to Eunice and I began telling her story, and it was basically of a life full of discouragements and failures, whether it was in her family or any business she attempted to start. We realised that there was a spiritual root to this, and sensed there were curses placed on her that she needed to be released from. We both had a very strong sense of the Holy Spirit being active while we prayed, and the lady was sobbing as we spoke God’s freedom over her.
People seemed keen to stop today, and we prayed for many who were sick. One lady suffering from cataracts reported an improvement in her vision after prayer; another said she felt relief from the pain in her head; others were suffering from high blood pressure, kidney problems, chest pain, stomach problems, and one person who asked for prayer for his mentally ill brother.
This last one challenged my faith, and I realised that sometimes we may unintentionally limit what God does by our lack of faith. I realised when we started praying that I wasn’t expecting this person to be healed of his brain-damage – that I could easily pray for his comfort, for peace, for his carers. But for complete healing – that his brain would work normally, and he would be able to function normally? I realised I didn’t expect God to do that. Fortunately, I was only supporting Eunice in prayer, and she was praying with the faith that I was missing.
Why can I pray for someone with a headache, or an eyesight problem, and be surprised when they are not healed? Yet a mental illness I consider more difficult for God to heal, or less likely that He will heal. Why are my expectations sometimes so great, and other times less so?