Who's your Guy?

 It was Friday morning, and for some reason, I happened to wake up early that day. My neighbor and I had finished chatting about a mutual friend when I turned to leave, and she asked me if I knew any “ill people.” I was a bit confused, and she immediately picked up on it and explained that a Christian club she belonged to was organizing an outreach. The guest speaker had the gift of healing, so they were asked to invite and bring as many ill people as they could find so they could be prayed for.

This caught my attention as she seemed so sure of herself and the guest speaker. Even though I believed Jesus heals people, I had never witnessed someone truly heal people. Many of the ones I saw on TV or elsewhere seemed to be a fluke, so I was skeptical. Being a doubting Thomas (don’t blame me, Nija has used my eyes to see things!), I decided to ask who this “healing minister” was. She brought out a flyer to show me. As soon as I saw his name, I remembered all the stories I had heard about him and told her I would try to come with someone.

The guest speaker was a military-personnel. I recalled my ex-boyfriend saying he was his mentor and another family friend who was in the military telling me of healing miracles he witnessed the man perform when they had gone on peacekeeping missions. Additionally, his wife was a childhood friend.

We had just finished our lectures for the week when I saw Adesua and remembered the invite I was given to the program and the need to bring an ill person. Adesua fit that description, as my friend seemed to be suffering from different health challenges over the years. What was most worrisome was that it would only start at the beginning of the school session, and she would get better a few weeks before exams. I knew it was straight from hell, as her case seemed to defy normal medical explanations, and almost every test conducted on her was negative. It seemed as if the illness came to limit her; else how does one explain that it was periodic and targeted to affect her studies and progress? If she missed the whole term, she would not meet up with exams. We were fortunate that most times, she was around for tests.

As we were leaving the department that day, I quickly asked her what plans she had for the weekend and gave her the invite. She said she would try to come as I shared so many testimonies about the guest speaker.

The program had started, and I didn’t see Adesua from where I sat, as the number of students on the court was overwhelming. The guest speaker preached and started praying for people. He was moving through the crowd, laying hands, calling people out, and so many seemed to be receiving instant miracles. I looked up and noticed Adesua somewhere in the crowd praying. The man would move close to her and then move away. My heart was breaking as I was sure this was the moment we had been waiting for. I started praying and whining to God to behave and make sure the speaker touched her, as I had often invited her to church programs, and for some reason, the whole program, which usually was interesting, would flop. I was even more upset when he came and called my cousin, myself, and some others out for prayers as he said God had asked him to pray for us about some things He wanted us to do in the future. Even my cousin, who had slight malaria, became instantly healed after the prayers and this infuriated me so much. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy my cousin was well but her illness was a “minor thing” in comparison to Adesua’s own. All I truly wanted was for God to heal my friend and let this one program I invited her to be worth it. In the midst of all this, I kept hearing the Holy Spirit say to me, “Remember the story of the paralytic!” This made me even more furious as I kept asking Him who was directing the guest speaker to the other people in need of healing. Me, I wasn’t going to do it. If He would heal her, He should do it the way He had been doing for others by sending the guest speaker their way. The Holy Spirit and I kept at this till the meeting ended, as I was resolute in my stance.

The meeting ended with many testimonies and an invitation to attend the grand finale, which would be held the following night. Because of what had happened, I told myself I wouldn't be attending. Still, just so my conscience would be at rest, I decided to ask Adesua if she would be in attendance, to which she said no as she had prior engagements and had been invited to a party.

Unlike my usual self, I didn’t apply any pressure nor try to persuade her because I didn’t blame her. I blamed God because if He had shown up the way He was supposed to, she would have believed and would have attended the program the next day.

As if that wasn’t enough, just as I was about to leave, I saw a guy who often led worship at my church and always seemed to annoy me. I felt he was a bit arrogant and completely overrated, as people often related his voice to that of Fred Hammond, which, in my opinion, was not even close. For some reason, it felt as if the Devil was just bent on messing with me that night.

He approached me and asked what I thought about the program. He was so excited about it, unlike me. Being that I was overwhelmed with emotions, I told him I didn’t share in his excitement as the one prayer request I came with was not answered. He kept quiet and then asked me if I had ever read the story of the paralytic. That did it; God was pushing it this time. As soon as he said it, I almost flared up and told him God had been laying the same thing in my heart, but I was not going to do it. I laid my arguments before him and told him the same thing I had told God a few minutes prior. He then suggested that perhaps I consider telling the wife of the guest speaker, who was my childhood friend, the issue so she could ask her husband to pray for Adesua. Again, I rejected this as I felt that doing such would make the miracle less potent. Besides, none of the other people who received their healings had to go through a friend or approach the speaker directly, so that would be me helping God.

All out of options, he let it be, and we just started talking about other random things, I was impressed at how honest the guy was and how he had a really good relationship with God. I hadn’t met so many guys at that age who seemed so in tune with God. In retrospect, it seemed God planted him there that day for my sake because, from that day, he became one of my closest, most trusted, and cherished friends (another story brewing).

The day of the grand finale came, and I watched students flood the arena as I made my way to my friend's house to celebrate her birthday. I had barely settled in and was about to take my first bite when I received a weird message from my supervisor. His message freaked me out so much, that I dropped my food and decided to head straight for the grand finale as I figured that God was clearly upset with me for defying His instructions the previous day and was allowing the devil to wreak havoc in my life, hence the message from my supervisor.

While begging and pleading with God to have mercy on me and forgive my shortcomings, I decided it would be wise to pass by Adesua’s room and see if I could make amends for the previous day by persuading her to attend the program with me so she would serve as my atonement lamb. I called out to her room, and I got a swift reply that she had gone out for a party. I figured she had made good on her words. It seemed I was on my own. With no atonement lamb, I made my way straight for the program while begging for mercy all through the journey.

Being that the place was packed full, I barely got a seat at the back, but it was a strategic point as I could see a clear view of people on the other row. While prayers commenced, I looked up to see the speaker, and to my greatest amazement, there stood Adesua a few rows ahead of me, praying fervently. I had never seen someone pray with so much passion, and it hurt so much to watch the speaker get super close to her, touch people, and then walk past her. I kept my hopes up, but they kept getting dashed. Every time he got so close to her, he would touch every other person except her and walk away.

At this point, tears had gathered in my eyes as I felt helpless to help my friend. I immediately stopped praying for myself and the issue that brought me and simply began to beg God to have mercy on my friend. I told Him, that I knew I came with my issue, but, if He had to pick just one prayer to answer, He should forget mine and simply answer hers.

I watched the scene repeat itself continuously until finally, the coordinator called out for the final testimonies as they were getting ready to conclude the program. A long queue formed with different people sharing all the healings they had experienced that day.

As I watched the scene unfold, it finally dawned on me that God was not going to heal Adesua in the manner I wanted, so I decided to be obedient and “remember the paralytic!” There I was, in line, the last testifier.

As soon as I got there, I narrated my story to them and what God had asked me to do. The guest speaker was stunned. While I waited for some kind of retribution or whatever would follow my outburst and story, the speaker lovingly looked at me and asked if Adesua was still there. I said she was, and he asked her to come out. He then instructed the whole crowd to which many obediently did.

Finally, I realized what God wanted. He needed me to not only learn to obey Him promptly but to realize that His ways are truly not my ways nor His thoughts mine. I may never truly be able to explain or know why God wanted Adesua to be prayed for in that manner, but from that date till today, she has never had that episode again. Perhaps it is because He knew that Adesua’s case may have needed a corporate anointing to finally break the hold of the devil over her health.

So, what’s the lesson in all this, apart from the need to be obedient and sensitive to the instructions of the Holy Spirit? Well, here are a few others:

1.      Don't Dictate to God: Too often, we want to dictate and tell God the way and manner in which He should bring to fruition the things we are asking for. We often feel that if He did it one way before, it must always be that way. Ever notice that Jesus healed about three people of blindness in the Gospels, and He did it in three different ways? With one, He only said the word; with another, He touched his eyes twice; and yet with another, He mixed His saliva with mud and touched the eyes of the blind person (my least favorite method). The three men all received their sight without Jesus having to use the same methods, and none of them complained about the process! So, always focus on your end goal without comparing the process He wants to take you through with that of others. I lost focus of this while insisting that God heals Adesua in the way I saw Him do for others.

2.      Surround Yourself with Faithful Friends: I don’t know if the paralytic man had faith on his own, but his friends certainly did. They went to extraordinary lengths to ensure He saw Jesus. Despite all the obstacles, they found a way. That’s why the Bible records in Luke 5:18-20 that 'Jesus saw their faith!' This beautifully highlights the unwavering determination of the paralytic’s friends. Their relentless effort to get him to Jesus shows their deep belief that this was the only way their friend could be healed. In Like manner, surround yourself with friends like these—those who will go the distance for you, no matter what, especially when your own faith can't carry you.

3. Learn from Jesus: Never underestimate or demean the profound importance of having friends. Jesus, the Son of God, walked this earth with a divine connection to His Father, yet He also cherished the companionship of true friends. Among the twelve, He selected three as His closest confidants, whom He could rely on in times of overwhelming uncertainty. If the Son of God valued friendship so deeply, my beloved, who among us can claim to be wiser?

Food for Thought: So ask yourself, if something happened to you today, would the friends you have around you right now show up? Are they people who know that only Jesus has the true answers and solutions to all of life’s challenges? How far are they willing to go to bring you to Jesus? Are they ready to intercede on your behalf and refuse to give up on you or your situation until something happens?

If your answer is no, then I suggest you begin to ask God to re-direct your steps and change your circle of friends, but also remember that before you make good friends, you also need to invest in being a good friend.