Attracted by God’s Presence

We set up our “healing prayer” sign at a large community event in the city. This time we had a small caravan, providing a welcoming and comfortable environment for people to receive prayer.

As I stood in the sunshine, leaning my back against the caravan, I became aware that a young man, wearing a leather biker jacket, had wandered across and was standing next to me. He didn’t say a word, but he was smiling, looking very much at ease.

Although the young man’s behaviour seemed very unusual, standing so close to me, without any introductions, it didn’t feel uncomfortable. I was intrigued, and I had a sense that he was being “drawn” to us.

This is not uncommon. Wherever we gather to pray, there is often a marked sense of God’s presence and peace in that location. This sensation can be quite irresistible, and people have told us that they don’t know why they stopped to talk to us; they just “felt drawn.”

An Accident and a Bereavement

I introduced myself and learned that the young man’s name was Chris. When I asked him if he needed any healing, he volunteered that he had an old leg injury from a bike accident, so I invited him to take a seat in the caravan, and called over to one of the guys who was with me, so we could pray with him together.

Chris explained more about the accident that had caused his leg injury. The surgery had been successful, but he still experienced pain at times.

The more Chris talked, the clearer it became that his physical injury wasn’t the main reason he had come along to us for prayer; he needed to talk about much deeper hurts.

He proudly showed us his tattoo, in memory of his Dad, who had been tragically killed. He missed his Dad, and he didn’t appear to have an especially close relationship with his Mom. Although he was on the brink of adulthood, the sadness and loss that he carried made him seem like a small, neglected orphan boy.

As my friend and I listened and prayed, we expressed God’s love to Chris, taking the role of spiritual Dad and Mom for a short while. I believe we were able to provide some important affirmation and nurturing, that had been missing from his life. We prayed for both physical and emotional healing.

Chris seemed to be so receptive to our prayers, and not yet ready to leave the warmth of the caravan. There was still some unfinished business…

Inviting Jesus In

“Would you like to invite Jesus into your life?” Chris immediately said yes, with no hesitation. I led him in a very simple prayer, as he handed his life over to Jesus; we welcomed the Holy Spirit, too, to be his comforter and helper.

Chris had already been in conversation with some christian bikers, who also had a stall at the event. He had a few friends who attended a local church youth service, too, so there were people around him to provide ongoing love and support and teach him more about following Jesus. He was drawn to us that particular day, with such a hunger for God, and ready and willing to embrace new life in Jesus Christ.

One year later, at the same event, I spotted Chris in the crowd and asked him how he was doing. His whole demeanour was much more confident this time, as he smiled and told me he was still following Jesus.