As we have prayed for God's will to be done and for heaven to come during the Presidential Election of 2008, it never occurred to me that God would use that prayer and His Word to change the lives of four women standing in line to vote. This is precisely what happened November 4th at Fort Dorchester High School , and I am in awe.
I arrived early, at 7:15 hoping to move through the lines quickly so that I could get to work at a decent hour. It was cold. It was damp. I was not thinking this would be a great day to pray for someone. For the first hour we were there, I was sending text messages to friends, mostly oblivious to what was going on around me. Then a conversation began with two women. We quickly uncovered our faith and began talking about God. I still was not fully engaged in the conversation, wondering instead how long all of this was going to take. After all, I had things to do.
Then the conversation turned, little did I know that God was setting the stage for heaven to come to earth. Tia began sharing the weight of being a single mother with us and suddenly I was drawn in. I felt the presence of the Lord descend upon us. We began to climb the mountain. At this time, someone from inside came out and announced that 3 of the nine voting machines just broke, the new ones were coming, they were not on site nor close by and needed to be programmed, we were going to be there a while. Heaven was setting the stage. During all of the commotion, while we were distracted I sent a text message to a friend telling her that ministry was happening with a single mom in line to vote.
Here is the first miracle. She responded by telling me that The Lord spoke to her earlier in the day and told her to pray for a single mom that was being ministered to while voting. My heart lept with joy. God you are so good. I walked back over to Tia and now it was just she and I and we picked up where we left off. She shared how guilty she felt for failing so many times, how she could not do it all, how she believed in God yet felt so trapped. I knew that pain all too well. She shared how her son was addicted to drugs and how she wanted him to be free and how she hurt for him. We talked about how Jesus came to set the captives free. I asked her if she believed it was possible that God loved her so much that He would allow the machines to break so that He could touch her in this voting line and let her know how Much He loves her. He was moving heaven and earth just for her. The cleansing tears came, like waves, nothing loud; in fact most did not seem to notice as the Great Physician began to gently touch her heart. It seemed as though the heavens were opening over us and all at once time stopped. Then I felt God prompt me to pray for her. My immediate response was, here, in this voting line, are you serious? Can't I invite her to church? Can't I tell her about Seven Steps to Freedom? His response came with a warm covering of that peace that passes all understanding, and I knew at that moment it didn't matter. God was going to make himself real to this hurting woman. I laid hands on her and began to pray quietly and as I did the crowd around us literally began to scatter. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Jesus had entered the scene and as He came near us people were moving. Most of them did not know what was happening, but those who had eyes to see and ears to hear did and in the right moment they would join us. God had a plan to join the hearts of 4 women in a very special way. We continued to pray, as if in our own little world and as we climbed that mountain, the layers of lies were being broken from her life, she was letting go of the weight of the world that she had been carrying for far too long. God was revealing Himself to her and she was finding freedom possibly for the very first time in her relationship with Jesus. This went on for several moments and then she wept into a puddle in my arms. It was beautiful. I was on the mountain in the Holy of Holies with this sister in Christ who I did not know right there under the canopy of the high school on an early Tuesday morning. Only a God like You could do such a thing.
As I mentioned, most did not seem to notice but while I was praying for Tia, another woman came up close, and as she stood near and watched us, in my heart I knew she was praying for us. I would find out later that she was a Pastor of a church on James Island with an incredible gift of discernment and a healing touch. She could see what the world could not, heaven coming down to earth. God would use her as the next miracle for the day. When we were through praying, this woman walked over to us and told us how much earlier in the morning she was standing several people back in line and noticed us talking. She could not hear what was being said. God spoke to her and told her to pray for us, that He was going to move the crowd and at the right moment Heaven would open up and strongholds would be broken from Tia's heart. My heart lept with joy. God you are so good. At this point Tia was beginning to call people and tell them how God touched her in the voting line and we were all celebrating His goodness. Her face wad radiant and she could not wait to tell the world how Jesus set her free.
Then the last miracle happened. God, when You move, You move. The last women entered the conversation. I could not tell you where she came from she just showed up. She joined the three of us and in her hand was The Bait of Satan by John Bevere. She said that she did not know why she brought it, as she had already read it but now she knew and she handed it to Tia. Of course, the perfect book to teach her about offense.
God's plan to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine was complete. Each of us woke up and planned our day having no idea how we would be part of something life changing. God allowed us to experience His wonder and majesty and things that could not be explained by our fragile, carnal minds, and it was good, no it was great, and just as He planned He could not fit in any box in our minds. I am left thankful that He is a God that Brings LIFE to the captives and chooses when and where to set them free.
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