It was seemingly “just” another day of spiritually gratifying experience and ministry. We climbed on the trucks, pressed against the hot metal rails and started our dusty trek north. We sat creatively in limited space; due to the PET carts we were hauling to San Rafael. We forded the rushing brown river and waved at group after group of yelling kids who were enjoying truckloads of blancs.
Upon arrival, before cart assembly, we visited a couple folks that already have a cart. We squeezed into one man’s dark two room shack that smelled of wood smoke and urine. But as we listened to him, those smells disappeared. He shared with us about his life, his struggles, his salvation, and a faith in our Father he was not willing to walk away from.
After that, we left his house and parked at a local schoolhouse, using a rock as an emergency brake…it happened!!!
I was living Luke chapter 5! A crippled man’s friends heard the healer…Jesus, was in town. They grabbed the corners of his mat and ran to the house Jesus was speaking in. They tore a hole in the roof, lowered him down and then Jesus… forgives the man of his sins. The man is spiritually healed, hallelujah! But the story is not over. Jesus then goes beyond words to physical proof that He is Messiah. He heals the paralyzed man, he’s now spiritually and physically healed, hallelujah! So here is where our story picks up.
After parking, there was some commotion behind the truck. The PET cart staff were speaking to an old man sitting in the shade with a walking staff as I moved toward them. What caught my attention was the 30-year-old Haitian man who was behind him sweating and gasping for air. If you have ever been to Haiti, you will understand. Haitians are tough and in great shape with little effects from physical exertion.
I’m confident these men came running because there was a real, present, physical need. Unknowingly, while they were running to us, they were running straight towards Jesus! It moved me, it shocked me, and it made me think. Am I living a life that represents Jesus for who He is? Am I sharing the Gospel at every opportunity? Are we, the church, offering hope and relief from earthly and spiritual suffering?
I Believe He’s My Healer!
“We can never know who or what we are till we know at least something of what God is.”
A. W. Tozer
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