John

I will call him John. He came to the shelter after losing his abode in a nearby city. His lived with his daughter until a week ago when she was evicted for non payment of rent. The daughter went to live with her mother, John's ex-wife. John had no place to go, no friend, no family or church to talk to.

John spent the rest of the days and night numbering 10 under a bridge as homeless. That is when a passerby saw him and told him about the Salvation Army shelter. He came and found a bed.

John is a truck driver but in the last fw weeks has not been able to work because his left arm is in much pain at the shoulder joint.

I sat down to see him in the evening of day two in the shelter. As he spoke John broke down and wept like a child. "I have sunk so low, I never thought anything like this could happen to me." He said between th sobs.
"I am not able to take care of myself. My family is not there for me. When I tell them my situation they tell me thy understand but are not able to consider taking me in. I can not work becaus my arm is in pain. If I go out looking for work I am told I can't be hired because I am not able to lift more that 5 lbs."
Then John told me what happened last night.
"I could not sleep. I had these loud noises in my head. They told me to end it. Get a gun. Find a rope. But I told myself that was not the way. I told myself I will make it. I knelt down by my bed and prayed to God. I asked God to help me, to bless me this day. I prayed that He would take me out of the place where I am."
I asked him how his day went.
He repeated what he already told me, that his day was very blessed indeed. This coming Sunday he would go to the Methodist Church close by. He told me he wants to renew his life in the LORD. I told him that was the way.
I spent time praying with John. He wants a large print Bible. He is not able to read out of small print because his sight is not very good.
As I prayed with John I felt the awesomeness of the occasion. He was determined to see God. H is determined to change the course of his life.

The next day John would go and find something to do.

Please pray for me, in the name of Jesus

Today a big man came to my social services office asking for prayer in the name of Jesus. The mystery guy probably weighs 280 lbs, is slightly taller than me, perhaps by quarter a foot; I stand at 5" 10".

At first it looked rather awkward if not purely funny that a man smelling of alcohol could walk to my office by broad daylight asking for prayer. I found him sitting in the waiting room of our social services office. He looked a little disoriented but he was clearly articulate and knew what he wanted. He wanted someone to pray for him.
Initially, when I saw him he stood up and approached me directly, "I need prayer. Please pray for me in the name of Jesus," was his request.
I pretended not to hear him. After all, when did anyone come to social services office asking for prayer? Never! It never happened. Occasionally, I may offer to pray with a client in distress who seems to express the need. Expressing one's religion can be tricky and I exercise it with great sensitivity. For that reason I prefer to wait for the client to state a need for prayer.
I went away past him to the church building one hundred yards from social services building. Upon returning I used a back entrance into my office hoping that way to avoid meeting him.
As I turned the corridor I found the gentleman speaking with my colleague.
My colleague in turn said to me, "This guy is asking for a Pastor to pray for him. So I told him to wait until you returned." She said, motioning with her hand to me to take over from there. Two colleagues were standing there besides him.
"Okay, I will walk to the chapel with him." I said, indicating to the man to follow me. I walked out of the building to the chapel. There I led him to the 'penitent seat' where I told him to kneel down before the LORD.
I prayed for him in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I rebuked the devil and demonic forces for messing up his life; I prayed for forgiveness and restoration in his life and family. I prophesied a whole lot concerning him and his family and his wife. After 25 minutes of praying there I asked him to stand up and follow me out of the chapel. He was so broken, crying like a baby, his entire face filled with tears. I rushed inside the service room toilet to get some tissue paper for his face.
As we walked out he showed me the bicycle he was riding. Then he pointed to a picture of a helicopter on his T-shirt:
"I used to drive these and now I am riding this." I nodded my head in understanding, wondering what his life is like or where he has been.
Such is life, there are ups and downs. Only Jesus makes the difference that prevents the downs from becoming down-and-out. Jesus is the equalizer in life. he came to give us full and rich life. He comes in to save, restore, and bless. He protects and guides.
One day perhaps this man will return to tell me what happened. I took authority in the name of Jesus; I bound the powers of the devil in the name f Jesus, and I released the working of the Holy Spirit in the life and family of this mystery man, in the name of Jesus. See this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF_gJgILBiE