Hearing Me Softly

The midnight rain was the culprit for the muddy hillside we were hiking on this warm morning.  Each step seemed like the last before we slid down the side of this steep mountainside in Guatemala, though it didn’t slow us down much.  Neither did the long skirts the ladies had to wear for this journey, which kept getting in the way of using my hands for additional support.  The rain finally slowed as we soon reached the top and began to make our way through the tall grass and trees.  Our destination took us to a small humble abode of a 90-year-old man and his wife, Estuerdo and Evelyn.  

Myself, two American friends, and three Guatemalan friends were excited to see what God had planned for this couple.  The last two days, we had prayed for more than 100 people and seen God heal them of all kinds of sicknesses.  As we reminisced of God’s goodness, we explained to our Guatemalan friends, "when we reach this couples’ home, you will be the one to pray for them to receive healing. God can use you just as He can use us to lay hands on the sick and see them healed.  God does not show favor.” Romans 2:11

My heartbeat skipped as I stopped to take in the beauty of our Creator’s masterpiece before me.  Surely Estuerdo and Evenlyn would be billionaires with this prime real estate in any Western country located 140,000 feet above sea level and nothing but breathtaking mountainsides touched only by the sun.  

The hut was small and quaint.  Their smiles and greetings were worth more than the land in which they lived.  Estuerdo explained how much he loved Jesus who had saved him and his wife over 75 years ago.  What an incredible legacy. Unfortunately, age had taken his hearing and he was unable to hear out of his left ear.  The interpreter asked, speaking in his good ear, if we could pray for his hearing to return.  With his permission, our Guatemalan friends gently placed their hands on Estuerdo’s ears and began to pray.  

I and two other American team members watched as the Guatemalan team began to pray. There was no formula, special prayer, chant, or method. There was only Jesus.  After they prayed, we tested his hearing by having someone stand 2 feet behind him, while another person placed their hand over his good ear in front of him.  Word for word, Eduardo repeated the softly spoken words from our Guatemalan friend standing behind him, “God has healed me.”  

It’s amazing to me when I see a deaf person healed.  Before prayer you have to scream loudly in their ears in hopes that they can hear something or trust they have mastered the art of reading lips. After prayer and healing, you can simply talk in a soft whisper behind them and they can hear every word clearly.  This was one of those times. 

Thank You, Jesus! 

Two days prior, our Guatemalan friends had never seen anyone healed, prayed for the sick, or knew the power and authority they had in Christ to lay hands on the sick and see them healed.  If you had told them that in the next two days you will see over 100 healings before your eyes, then you will pray for a deaf man and see him healed, they may not have believed you.  Just like you are probably thinking now.  

It’s okay.  We’ve all had those thoughts… there is no way I could have done that?  What if nothing happened?  What if ? What if? What if?  

What if you stepped out in faith and prayed for someone and God healed them?