In the early days of stopping for the one, I had to learn very quickly how to leave it to God. The outcome, the reaction, the salvations, I could not control any of it, just merely obey, and leave the rest to Him because, God is Good!
I was the last client in the hairdressers late on a Thursday night, when I was told by the owner that she could not smell smells. As she spoke to me, I felt God ask me to pray for her.
I offered, saying I believed she should be able to smell all the lovely smells that were there to be smelt.
She agreed, but quickly added that she did not believe in any of this sort of thing.
It was winter time, and dark outside. With maybe 10 hairdressers standing around us in a semicircle, I stood, framed perfectly by their brightly lit, street window. Passersby, seeing there was something going on, slowed down to look at the show.
It was quite the spectacle.
This was very early in my time of praying for healing. It was also early in my stepping out and praying for someone who did not believe it would work. It was intimidating. I felt intimidated by her, by her attitude, and by the line of hairdressers watching what was going on.
I nervously placed my hand on her nose and prayed for healing. I prayed she would smell the fragrances of heaven and that she was to be totally well.
I felt nothing.
No anointing.
Nothing.
I asked her if she felt anything.
She felt nothing at all as well.
I was embarrassed, even mortified. But I kept it light, thanked her for allowing me to pray, and said my goodbyes.
I cried as soon as I got home. Standing in the kitchen, I said to my husband,
“It’s too hard. I want to give up. Stopping for the one on the streets is hard. I can’t do it any more. I’ve had enough.”
Andrew listened and responded gently, “I think this evening was a step for her, in her walk towards God. It would be a shame for you to stop.”
His words encouraged me somewhat, but I still felt lousy and angry at God for ‘making a fool of me.’ I felt completely responsible that she felt nothing, and that nothing had happened. I also felt an idiot, knowing that I had to go back there for haircuts in the future.
Regardless, I chose to shrug it off and kept stepping out to pray for people. I also kept going to the same hairdresser for my haircuts, but it felt like a walk of shame every time I went there. Honestly, I hoped I would never see her again.
It was about 6 months later that the girl I had prayed for saw me.
‘I have been wanting to see you for ages,’ she said.
‘For the last 6 months, I have been smelling things I have never smelled before. I keep saying to people, “Can you smell that? I can smell that. I could not smell that before!” ‘
This came as a complete shock to me, and although delighted, I simultaneously felt convicted. I had nearly given it all up that dark winter’s night, and in this very moment, I was so glad I hadn’t. While this was not the first time I had stopped and prayed for someone, it was a critical point of the journey and I had been so ready to give up!
Here was the encouragement 6 MONTHS after the event. Had I stopped because of discouragement, many people would never have had an encounter with God. It was an early lesson that I had to learn if I was to survive and continue the journey. It’s an essential one to catch. If we stop and step out for the one, we are not responsible for the outcome. We must leave the outcome to God.
Whether they or I FEEL the anointing is irrelevant. Whether we can discern the tangible presence of God is irrelevant. Whether they are healed on the spot is also irrelevant.
To feel the anointing, to see the healing, while nice and reassuring, it is unnecessary.
God moves as he chooses, He reveals Himself as He chooses. We cannot pray and not effect change in the spirit. Something will happen, whether or not we are ever privy to that truth.
Always remember the truth that, “…the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16) and we are a righteous people through the blood of Jesus Christ!
We are called to stop for the one and He does the rest.
This woman has since gone on a journey.
Further conversations and encounters occurred after this time. In one conversation, she said,
‘Every time I get around you, I want to cry.’
I simply explained she was feeling God and His love for her. It was certainly not me, because at the time she mentioned, I was feeling stressed, tired and overwhelmed by life.
Her response was to burst into a flood of tears.
God impacted this girl repeatedly and each time I saw her over the years, she encountered God in some shape or form. It showed me then, and it continues to witness to me to this day, that God will be God. If we will just be real, do life, and obey, He will impact the world through us. It’s simple, it’s pure, and it’s easy. We leave it to God because…
God is Good!
© Beth Kennedy 2022
Reblogged this on God is Good and commented:
While this was not the first time I had stopped and prayed for someone, it was a critical point of the journey … I was so ready to give up!
It took 6 months to find out what had truly happened and thank goodness I had kept on going, and trusting God.
This girl has since gone on a journey…
She is the owner of the hairdresser I used to go to, and the last time I saw her was last November when she said to me … “every time I get around you I want to cry” to which I responded that she was feeling God and His love for her … because I can tell you the last time I saw her I was stressed, tired and overwhelmed by life myself so it sure wasn’t me … or anything contrived by me …
I replied that she felt Him every time because she was special and very very loved by Him to which the tears poured down her face … God would touch her over and over and over again each time I saw her over the years which so clearly shows that if we will just “be real” and “do life” they will see the light through and in us purely because … God is Good!
Very good and encouraging!
Thank you Marlene 🌹
Blessings 🌟
Thanks Beth this is encouraging my biggest fear in life is everyone can hear my thoughts because I feel like a profit in that everytime I think or imagine things they change in knowledge everytime I go visit that interest. So in that manner it always feels complete that God is out there moving ahead of us preparing the way even when times are dark and trying and our own broke will that we stapled to the cross to die with him. Sometimes doesn’t feel like this flesh is enough to concur all that he has laid before us to remember that our help cometh from the Lord! Thanks for your knowledge and encouragement.
Blessings Aaron 👑
God is so good! He does what is needed when we are obedient to do as he asks. Thanks for sharing and reflagging. It is good to read your post! Blessings!
Hi Pure Glory – thank you for commenting. Could I ask a very big favour … a number of years ago, before I got sick, I felt that God asked me to write a book which included my stories as examples … at that time I had to say “no” to all work too so my income stopped … as someone that has “walked” with me with many stories ,… would you give me feed back on what you particularly liked as stories of testimonies? …. many blessings God is Good!
I’m excited, encouraged and just amazed by your stories! God is SO good and faithful. You stepping out in faith and obedience is all God requires from us and he’ll take care of the rest. As a Canadian living in Melbourne purely because God said so a year ago, your stories just fill my soul and remind me how amazing he is.
Thank you!!!!
Hi there! Thank you so much for your comment! You sure do know about stepping out in faith travelling around the globe in obedience. Perhaps you will share a little more of your story? Blessings, God is Good!
I’m not sure how I missed this comment so long ago! 🙂 Thanks for responding!
My story in a nutshell (also on my blog) is that in March 2014, God laid on my heart the country of Australia. There wasn’t anything solid that he was calling me here for (employment etc. ) but I sold everything, packed my bags and arrived here September 2014. He confirmed that this was the right step SO many times over in the most ridiculous ways! So I’ve spent the last 15 months trying to figure out what he has for me here and it has been the most trying but exciting time of my life.
Your blog is refreshing and uplifiting! I love reading your stories 🙂
This has spoken directly into something I was wrestling with last night Beth! God knows what we need and when we need it… I’ve stepped out, it’s Him who needs to do the rest.
Pressure off…
But boy oh boy I can relate to that feeling of having been obedient to what I thought God was showing me to do… and sometimes we may not get the testimony-well, not in the way we thought.
But God knows.
I’m so thrilled for this lady! And for you Beth. Well done for choosing to continue to say yes.
Oh hugs and yay 🫶🌟💥
You and I know that tension of walking things out and trusting Him 🥰‼️♥️
Wow I needed this today ! Ty for sharing this great testimony
God is good! You are so welcome. 🌷
I love the simplicity of your walk with the Lord Beth. I look forward to your testimonies which are so encouraging. God bless. Louise
Thank you Louise. It is simple… I think as human beings we like to complicate things but in reality it’s so pure and simple 💖
Thanks for reading and coming on the journey.