Journey mercies

So I was sitting at church, squirming a fair bit because my back was really acting up. The Pastor had invited another pastor he met during the week to come along to share to our group. He brought his wife, daughter, son and daughter-in-law and it was very obvious they were a very loving tightly-knit family.

He shared about his life story and how he became to believe in Jesus as God. And then he taught about the history of what Jesus had done and how He continues to do so. He got his wife to share certain things as well, emphasizing strongly how integral she is in the shared purpose of their lives in serving Christ. As a family, the way they spoke of their experience with God, the way their relationships with one another was so full of love and support, it left me feeling like I want to have the fullness of joy they have with God and with man.

Then this pastor said nothing beats showing the power of God as a demonstration of it. And that was to show how God can heal.

So he asked who would want to receive prayers, and he wanted to start with those with structural problems (ie bones). Only because it was the easiest to demonstrate immediate healing, so that our faith can be stirred up. Having the nagging backache I was the first to jump up.

Yes, when it comes to blessings, I am shamelessly greedy. No such thing as why don't you go first.

He sat me down and first up wanted to check my legs. He lifted it and pointed out how one leg was longer than the other. I could see a distinct difference in the positioning. He could have held it up wrongly but within seconds of him starting to pray, I could see the length of the feet aligning itself, without feeling his hands move. My eyes went wide, but the impact of the healing wasn't that huge yet.

He laid his hands on my head to pray for healing of my back. Then his hands moved to cover the back of my neck as he prayed for the bones to realign itself to the original position. After a few more seconds, I could feel my neck moving backwards. I certainly felt no pressure from his hands to move my neck and nor had I conscious thoughts of moving it.

His hands held my shoulders and once more prayed for realignment of my shoulder bones to original state and I found my shoulders moving gently to the right. By this time my eyes went wider and I was making a slight face because I was convinced that God was certainly doing something.

His hands covered my back and prayed for my spine to realign and I could literally feel my spine moving!!! I was bowled.

Immediately, when I stood the pain that had been nagging me and shooting up my neck ceased. It was an awesome experience!

I never once ever thought of asking God to heal me of my back problems; simply accepting that such is life and to get on with it. There are things I have asked of God and He has yet to answer. But I am convinced in every answered and unanswered prayers, His response is always in love.

What I am learning is, it is not in the power of the the person who is praying that makes the difference. It is also not God's power that is in question, because His ability to heal is constant. His will for each individual and the timing can differ, but those are the exception rather than the rule. The minority rather than the majority.

What makes the difference for the majority is in their willingness to believe in Him and how ready they are to cooperate and even fight for His blessings. I have seen people who say they want to experience God but their attitudes were lukewarm and unwilling to exert mentally and physically to break through spiritual barriers, where at the very same hour and place their peers were falling under the power of God instantly.

Be the first to stand where there is an altar call for who will respond to God. Be the first to fall onto your knees and ask for forgiveness even while others hold back and stand in dignity. Be the first to ask for prayers. Be the first to say I will meet the need of others. Be the first to give all that you are to Him and to the needs of the people.

The blessings of God that can be showered on your lifetime can be amazingly overwhelming if you are greedy for Him.

But let me tell you this.

Nothing. Will compare to the treasures of heaven that will await in the new Kingdom. I do not know the form and shape those treasures will be. You can be a nominal Christian who lived most of your life taking care of your own life and own needs and barely push through the gates of heaven. You will experience the wonders and joy of the new Kingdom of heaven and earth. But you will be oh so jealous of those who have given all that they had that other people in greater need would know the love of God, for the treasures in heaven they had accumulated in doing so.

I just know instinctively and deep in my spirit that the kind of treasures God offers in heaven will be mind blowingly awesome and will put to shame the blessings that can be received even now in this lifetime.