3 Lives: Changed by Prayer

Samuel

I was in Tanzania in 2010 when a few of us came across this young, 3 year-old boy named Samuel. He was helping his older brother (about the age of 7) herd the family’s goats. Samuel’s mother, who was clearly expecting her next child, stood cautiously in the brush.

As we approached Samuel, we could see he had a problem with his eye. We tried to ask his brother what was wrong with Samuel’s eye, but he could not understand us. That was when his mother cautiously approached us.

Something had been wrong with Samuel’s eye ever since birth making it difficult for him to see. More recently however, the young boy had gotten a piece of debris stuck in it as well. His mother had taken him to every clinic within walking distance and was told the same thing. There was nothing that could be done. Samuel would probably lose his sight completely in that eye.

Africa is a hard place to live, even when you have full use of all of your senses. My heart filled with compassion as I began to imagine the hardships this boy was destined to endure. Using a local pastor as a translator, we asked if we could pray for Samuel.

I began to speak to Samuel about Jesus. I told him who Jesus was and how much Jesus loved him. I told Samuel how Jesus healed people’s eyes all of the time and that Jesus wanted to heal him, too.

As I was speaking, the boy’s mother and the pastor began shouting. They could see Samuel looking directly at me with both of his eyes. Jesus had healed Samuel’s eye!

Samuel’s mother promised that this would be Samuel’s story. Everyone in the village had known about Samuel’s eye trouble. Now, everyone would know about Jesus!

Fatima

In the fall of 2013, Pastor Tim and I were walking and praying through a Muslim fishing village. The previous day, a woman had been miraculously healed through prayer in this very village.

The Assistant Village Chief had greeted us upon our return to the village this morning. There was great excitement in his voice as he told us about the woman who had been healed, “She went to draw water from the lake early this morning. Everyone has seen her!”

We were now accompanying the Assistant Village Chief to the site of his previous home which had been badly damaged by weather. He wanted us to “pray away any evil spirits” that might be the cause of all this damage.

After Pastor Tim blessed his homestead, someone brought a baby out to be prayed for as well. The baby’s name was Fatima. She appeared to behave normally during the day, but was very uncomfortable and cried all night long.

The AVC held Fatima as I prayed. I could see some elevated white spots under Fatima’s skin that looked like parasites. The spots seemed to flatten and fade as I prayed. There was no way to know what did or did not happen, but as I finished, Fatima was smiling!

We started making our way to the next place where we were going to pray when we heard a great commotion behind us. The AVC was gesturing and speaking loudly to our translator. Instantly, I became concerned that we had done something wrong. When we asked our translator what was happening he said, “The Assistant Village Chief has had shooting pain in his legs for about three years. As you prayed for the baby, his pain stopped. He waited to make sure it didn’t return when we began walking and it did not. Now, he wants to know how this happened because you only prayed for the baby, not him!”

Pastor Tim smiled and asked me, “Would you like to explain ‘collateral  damage’ or shall I?” At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow…whether we are aware of it or not!

Woman in Sri Lanka

This past October (2017) I was privileged to travel to Sri Lanka. I didn’t know what my assignment was going to be, but I went with an open heart. While I was in the country, I spoke and prayed at many women’s ministry gatherings. Consequently, I wound up praying for many, many women.

Since I’ve been back in the States, several women have found me on Facebook. Last week, one of the women asked me to pray for her ailing friend via messenger. I reminded my Sri Lankan friend that she herself could lay hands on her friend and pray for him because she has the same Jesus inside of her that I have. She agreed but said that her friend lived far away. Then my Sri Lankan friend posted this message,

“Do you know pastor? My church sister’s mouth had a wound,,, she said your healing prayer she healed…Before doctors said she need a operation,, but after prayers suddenly she healed,,,, she’s one of old mom,, she still praise the lord & loving you…”

I don’t know who this woman is. I don’t know if she was healed instantly or after a while. I prayed for so many women, often without translation. It doesn’t matter. God knows her. He knows her by name. He knows her hopes and her dreams as well as her sorrows and her pain…and God healed his beloved daughter!

Samuel, Fatima, Woman in Sri Lanka, three beloved children of God, three lives changed by prayer. Thank you, Father!