In January I became friends with this precious homeless man at my local station. It began with me just buying him food and blessing him. Then it became a regular chat that we would have. Then it turned into us both eating together and chinwagging about life. In the summer we prayed together for his appointment with the local council to get a flat. He got the flat, praise Jesus! He even got upgraded to a better flat! Praise Jesus galore! A stray cat started following him into his tent on the streets, who then moved into his new upgraded flat with him and brought him so much joy! Praise Jesus for that too. And then praise Jesus, praise Jesus, praise Jesus - a million times praise Him - because this week I witnessed my precious friend getting miraculously healed by Jesus and then him giving his life to the Lord. WOW! WOW! WOW! My heart rejoices. As does all of heaven.

It all kicked off when I saw him at his usual spot in the station and asked if he wanted food but he refused because he said he was in so much agony that he couldn’t bare to eat. He then showed me his injury from falling down in his flat and his side being swollen and him just being in so much pain. I asked if I could pray for him which he allowed me to and then I asked him to check to see how the injury was now feeling. He started moving around and then suddenly his eyes widened and he froze. The look on his face was priceless. LOL.

He literally couldn’t speak. He then in his cockney accent said “are you some kind of a magician, like?” I laughed so hard. I explained to him that Jesus had just healed him. For the next 15 minutes we both just got so happy as we delighted in this supernatural healing because the pain had properly disappeared and he could totally move around again.

He was shocked beyond belief. I then said you should eat now that you’re not in any more pain and went to grab him some food. By the time I came back he was sitting there on the floor baffled but beaming. He shared that while I was gone, he had just been poking his side again and again trying to see if any pain was left and it just wasn’t. Then he shared that he never could’ve imagined this happening. He marvelled that even if he’d gone to a hospital and the hospital had been able to treat him, he still would not be feeling this level of normality and well being. He was utterly utterly blown away.

I explained to him why he was able to experience such wellbeing in a split second, like that. It was because of what Jesus had done on the cross. I shared the gospel with him and how we get to appropriate healing, wholeness and abundance because of the finished work of Christ. When I asked if he believed that Jesus died for him and that he rose again, he wholeheartedly said yes. We talked about the beautiful ways that Jesus had been pursuing him and showing up for him so kindly. He could totally see it. I then asked if he wanted to follow Jesus and invite Him into his heart as Lord, he literally couldn’t say yes quick enough. It was one of the most beautiful salvation moments I’ve ever witnessed.

He cherished every word, every truth, every love drenched moment of his entry into the Kingdom of God, as he said yes to Jesus and prayed to receive the Lord into his heart. Woohooooooo!!!! Oh my gosh. It was so lush. There's such delight in my inmost being. And it’s SO exciting to consider that as a brand new believer he has already experienced such a wonderful measure of God’s love, provision, healing, signs and wonders in His history places with God!! This is so powerful because these things are already a reality to him and so he will naturally release this to others as the norm, from day one! Glorrrry!

Every time I saw my friend or chatted with him, his eternal salvation was always on my heart and so many times I wanted to share the gospel with him, but I held back and simply enjoyed him in that moment and enjoyed the treasure that he is. But nearly eleven months later, since the first moment we met, to witness his moment of eternal salvation kicking in, in God’s perfect timing - with supernatural healing as a divine backdrop, was just glorious. Utterly sublime. It was so so worth the wait.

And so I just want to encourage us today - as God’s ministers of reconciliation, there will be experiences that we will have where we are able to lead people into God’s beautiful love and His kingdom in a single encounter and we will sense the Lord’s love, unction and empowerment to do that. Other times it might involve simply praying for people or sharing God’s love without ever knowing the impact until we get to heaven. But on other occasions it will involve loving people, blessing them, praying with them and for them - and simply journeying with them. And it will involve being at complete rest - trusting that in His perfect timing, God will reveal His love and undeniable reality to this precious person in a beautiful way.

So, beautiful saints…be encouraged - for those that you are journeying with - and longing for, to know the beautiful love of the Lord…know that God is surely drawing them into His embrace, in His perfect timing. So don’t stop loving. Don’t stop praying. Don’t stop blessing. Don’t stop listening. Don’t stop caring. Don’t stop weeping. Don’t stop aching. Don’t stop radiating. Don’t stop cherishing the ones in your world, whether they know God or not. And like Heidi Baker always says, don’t stop, ‘stopping, for the one.’

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