From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
Jonah 2:1-2
I stood one day in Kuruman in the Northern Cape in a pharmacy about 25 years ago. As I paid for my items I heard what I thought was a shopping cart pass behind me to the pharmacist. When the wheels passed me I heard God tell me to go pray for that woman. Like Jonah I said to myself, there is no way that is happening.. this room is packed and I will embarrass myself.
Again the wheels came past me out of the shop, and again I heard God say GWEN go pray for her. I got this physical voice in my mind and at that moment I knew I had to do it. I ran out of the shop and got a glimpse of the wheels going into Foschini’s and my whole heart dropped into my boots.
It was payday, all the mines had paid employees, and clothing stores were filled to the brim. I wanted to run.. anywhere but there Lord… I even thought I will wait in the car until she came out, and do it in the car, with the car door open.
As I walked in I saw her sitting in her wheelchair in the middle of the room right in front of the cash register, she was severely disabled and struggled to stay upright in her chair. Her speech was bad and she was in terrible pain. As I bent down to her level, I asked if I could pray with her. As I knelt down I felt this amazing love that Jesus had for her, it took my breath away. I took her hand and all we could do was cry finally, I said Jesus has not forgotten you, you are not alone, you have never been alone.
I didn’t understand why that was all I needed to say, but after about 10min on my knees in the clothing store, she could finally speak. she said “I asked God if He did not speak to me today I will not make it… I was on my way to go and kill myself. I can’t do this alone anymore, not one more day.”
Out of all the times God has ever used me, I was most ashamed of this day. I was so ashamed, how could I consider hiding behind my car door to pray for a woman who deserved my Saviour publicly dying on a cross.
If God can die for me publicly, I can serve Him publicly.
Lord help me to never let my location stop me from publicly praying to you again. Amen
