Parking Lot Healings (I know, not in church…)

I carved away at my steak as I simultaneously made conversation with a new friend at a restaurant. As we chatted about this and that, I noticed she would shift her position every few seconds, it seemed. After some time, I asked as politely as I could, “problems with your back, then?” She looked up and nodded her head, “I was in a car accident about 12 years ago and since then, I have pain in my back all the time.”

At this, I said how sorry I was to hear it. I then asked if she did any therapy for it. Enthusiastically, I put my knife and fork down, got up, and showed her a couple of stretches she could do for her back. After I sat down, I immediately felt quite foolish. Here I was, teaching and ministering healing almost every week, but my first reaction was to show her stretching exercises.

Anyhow, in a few minutes, we were done with dinner and as the sun began to set, I walked with her to her truck to say goodbye. This was still gnawing at me though, but I felt that reserve many of us do and still said nothing. I think it was when she opened her door and I saw the cushions she had arranged on the driver’s seat to keep her comfortable that I finally gave in and asked, “do you mind if I pray for your back?”

She was a little taken aback but after a couple of seconds, answered yes. I laid hands on her back, right there in the parking lot. “Father, in the Name of Jesus, I ask that you heal her back. I believe it is done and I thank you for it, in Jesus Name.” That’s it, I’m done. She gingerly gets into her car, waves and drives off. I find my car nearby and drive off. I don’t get more than half a mile down the road than my phone rings. I can tell she’s excited about something. “I can’t believe this!!” She’s yelling now. “The pain is gone .. it’s gone!”

Now I’m excited too. “Praise God, the pain is gone?” She answers, “Yes, it’s completely gone. I can’t believe it…” She is so excited. She is still healed when she gets home, the next day and weeks later. She told me that she had to make adjustments in the way she got into her car, into bed, opened things and so on-her whole life had changed. Actually, she could stop compensating for a bad back.

I must admit I was puzzled at the time. I prayed for maybe 20 seconds and laid hands on her back. I had just had some tough, protracted prayer cases with minimal relief for the sufferers. Why the difference? I think I have gotten some answers since then, which I’ll share in a later post. What are your thoughts on this?