God’s Appointment

Once again, no one was available to accompany Mr. Joe and me to the hospital to ask people in the local tongue whether we could pray with them. The last two times this had occurred, we’d not gone to the hospital after all; but we really hated to miss our commitment yet again. Feeling strongly that God wanted us there even if all we could speak was English, we went armed with the one phrase “May we pray with you?”

There have been some terrible wounds on our more recent visits: burns, open sores (an invitation to flies), amputations. We made our way from bed to bed, motioning when our words didn’t make sense, and securing permission at each place to pray. About halfway through, we noticed a 15-year-old boy was trailing us. He was a family member of one of the people for whom we’d prayed, and it seemed that what we were doing had piqued his interest, as he listened carefully to the intercession we made at each bedside.

Toward the end, we asked his name – “Samed” – and then whether he would be willing to serve as our interpreter, explaining to people more fully that we were Christians who would like permission to pray for the sick. He eagerly agreed to do so, and when our hour was spent, he trailed us out into the corridor. As soon as we reached a quiet place, Mr. Joe began to question him and share the gospel with him, while I stood aside praying fervently. To our joy, Samed understood what was being shared and prayed to accept Jesus into his life!

We walked outside the building and entered a taxi. Just as we were pulling away, we saw Samed running out the doors: his face lit with a big smile when he made eye contact with us, and he waved excitedly. The next morning, he called Mr. Joe twice to see when he would get his Bible.

Praise God for Samed’s new spiritual life! Please be praying for his continued growth in the Lord.