You should know that I have zero theological training. One time in 9th grade I took a class called "Bible" and that was just because I was at a Christian school and didn't have a choice in the matter. Trust me, I’d rather been in Rhetoric or Debate. The one thing I remember about that class was sitting there wondering what the heck our Headmaster was talking about when he kept referring to “the fall.” I suppose I eventually figured it out and passed the class because I only had to take it once. But that single class is the extent of my sitting in a classroom learning anything even close to theology or doctrine or anything else. And to be honest, I like it that way.
So maybe I can’t explain to you WHY things happen the way they do. I can’t give you a prepared answer to WHY bad things happen or HOW God feels when they do. We could go rounds all day long talking about the WHY and the HOW and we’d both probably make some very good points. But right now, I want to talk about the WHO and the WHAT. Because some things happened at training camp that I can’t give an explanation for. All I can tell you is WHAT happened and WHO did it. And once you’ve experienced the power of the Holy Spirit like I did at training camp, you’ll know exactly what I mean.
On this particular night, our pastor and speaker for the week was teaching on prayer and healing and the combination of the two. I was so excited for this lesson because I’ve been praying for God to heal my back for so long now. When Ron asked if there was anyone who needed physical healing, a girl a few rows in front of me raised her hand immediately. Her name is Bekah. I had noticed Bekah right off the bat the first day of camp because she was on crutches. Although I saw her from a distance and I was discouraged by the amount of weight pressing down on me from my hiking pack, I instantly felt pain for Bekah. “My gosh it’s so hot and that poor girl has a boot on her leg. I can’t imagine dealing with all that and carrying a hiking pack too.” As I watched Bekah struggle to walk down to the front of the room without her crutches, I couldn’t help but wish it were I walking down that aisle for healing.
As Bekah began to tell her story, something happened inside of me. But in this moment, all I could do was sit and stare. Bekah began to tell how she is a professional dancer and in many ways dancing is her ministry. God moved her and her husband, Josh, to LA and living in a secular world has been a very real struggle for them. She always had dancing to hold onto until she hurt her ankle. The more she spoke, the more I cried. A knot was growing in my stomach and my legs began to go numb. They started to tingle and eventually began to hurt. I felt actual pain in my legs and this is one of those times that I cannot explain WHY.
Now there were several girls on my squad who knew how bad my back has gotten over the last few months and I knew they were going to make me sit still long enough to pray over me. So I sat there thinking to myself, “I’m going to have to stand soon. These legs better start working.” Ron and a few others began to pray over Bekah and she felt tingles and movement in her foot. After a couple of minutes the whole room of 300+ stretched out our arms toward Bekah and begged God for healing.
As they continued to rub their hands over her leg and pray fervently for her, the rest of the room broke into small prayer circles praying over others who needed it. (I was one of those people and that specific blog is coming next so get ready.)
The next day in our first session all together, AIM staff asked Bekah for an update on her ankle. She said it felt so much better but she was still wearing her boot to be cautious and besides, she didn’t have a left shoe. As the week progressed and I would bump into Bekah during lunch or in the bathroom, she talked about how her ankle was healing and it was feeling better each day. She was still a little hesitant to take off her boot and walk freely.
One of the last days of camp I saw Bekah walking across campus with NOTHING ON HER FEET BUT TWO RUNNING SHOES. She was not limping or struggling … she was walking freely. “Wow, this girl is for real,” I thought. And then, it happened. That night with 300+ people in a room worshipping a God who had done more in that week than any of us could have imagined, it happened.
I was facing the back of the room praying for some girls on my squad when I heard the worship leader begin to sing “Revelation Song.” I looked up at Emily and said, “I love this song” as I turned around to worship. I couldn’t believe my eyes. They instantly filled with tears and my mouth dropped wide open. This is what I saw…
So maybe I can’t explain to you WHY things happen the way they do. I can’t give you a prepared answer to WHY bad things happen or HOW God feels when they do. We could go rounds all day long talking about the WHY and the HOW and we’d both probably make some very good points. But right now, I want to talk about the WHO and the WHAT. Because some things happened at training camp that I can’t give an explanation for. All I can tell you is WHAT happened and WHO did it. And once you’ve experienced the power of the Holy Spirit like I did at training camp, you’ll know exactly what I mean.
On this particular night, our pastor and speaker for the week was teaching on prayer and healing and the combination of the two. I was so excited for this lesson because I’ve been praying for God to heal my back for so long now. When Ron asked if there was anyone who needed physical healing, a girl a few rows in front of me raised her hand immediately. Her name is Bekah. I had noticed Bekah right off the bat the first day of camp because she was on crutches. Although I saw her from a distance and I was discouraged by the amount of weight pressing down on me from my hiking pack, I instantly felt pain for Bekah. “My gosh it’s so hot and that poor girl has a boot on her leg. I can’t imagine dealing with all that and carrying a hiking pack too.” As I watched Bekah struggle to walk down to the front of the room without her crutches, I couldn’t help but wish it were I walking down that aisle for healing.
As Bekah began to tell her story, something happened inside of me. But in this moment, all I could do was sit and stare. Bekah began to tell how she is a professional dancer and in many ways dancing is her ministry. God moved her and her husband, Josh, to LA and living in a secular world has been a very real struggle for them. She always had dancing to hold onto until she hurt her ankle. The more she spoke, the more I cried. A knot was growing in my stomach and my legs began to go numb. They started to tingle and eventually began to hurt. I felt actual pain in my legs and this is one of those times that I cannot explain WHY.
Now there were several girls on my squad who knew how bad my back has gotten over the last few months and I knew they were going to make me sit still long enough to pray over me. So I sat there thinking to myself, “I’m going to have to stand soon. These legs better start working.” Ron and a few others began to pray over Bekah and she felt tingles and movement in her foot. After a couple of minutes the whole room of 300+ stretched out our arms toward Bekah and begged God for healing.
As they continued to rub their hands over her leg and pray fervently for her, the rest of the room broke into small prayer circles praying over others who needed it. (I was one of those people and that specific blog is coming next so get ready.)
The next day in our first session all together, AIM staff asked Bekah for an update on her ankle. She said it felt so much better but she was still wearing her boot to be cautious and besides, she didn’t have a left shoe. As the week progressed and I would bump into Bekah during lunch or in the bathroom, she talked about how her ankle was healing and it was feeling better each day. She was still a little hesitant to take off her boot and walk freely.
One of the last days of camp I saw Bekah walking across campus with NOTHING ON HER FEET BUT TWO RUNNING SHOES. She was not limping or struggling … she was walking freely. “Wow, this girl is for real,” I thought. And then, it happened. That night with 300+ people in a room worshipping a God who had done more in that week than any of us could have imagined, it happened.
I was facing the back of the room praying for some girls on my squad when I heard the worship leader begin to sing “Revelation Song.” I looked up at Emily and said, “I love this song” as I turned around to worship. I couldn’t believe my eyes. They instantly filled with tears and my mouth dropped wide open. This is what I saw…
No comments:
Post a Comment