Open my heart

This daughter of Abraham . . . 

Occasionally, we receive stories from readers telling us how God has worked in their lives.

“I was serving on the prayer ministry team at my church a few years ago when a woman came asking for prayer.   ‘It’s my heart,’ she said, ‘Sometimes it feels like I’m going to have a heart attack and die.’   Even to my untrained eye, she didn’t look healthy.   So my first thought was ‘You really need to see a doctor!’   But I remembered that Jesus has the power to heal, so I began to pray for her heart.

“As we prayed together, however, my thoughts shifted.   I began to feel that I should also pray about another kind of heart problem.   That she would know how much God loves her as his daughter.   So my words changed from prayers for physical healing to declarations of God’s love.   ‘You are created out of love and for love,’ I told her.   ‘You are created to know God’s love and to overflow with it.   You are a daughter of the King, his beloved princess.’   I asked God to make these truths more real to her.

“All of a sudden, she began to weep.   She told me she had never really known God as her Father.   She had always been somewhat afraid of him, but she could feel her fear fading away.   As we finished praying, she wiped her eyes, and I saw the most beautiful, radiant smile on her face.

“My new friend is seeing a doctor and making it through day by day.   Her prognosis remains unsure, but she knows deep in her heart that God loves her, and that has made all the difference in her life.”

Perhaps the greatest healing that this woman or any of us could receive is to hear God say, “You are my son, my daughter.”   It was those words, “daughter of Abraham,” that unbent the crippled back of the woman.   They can help all of us stand tall with dignity and gratitude.

So don’t be afraid to ask God to speak these words to you.   He may heal you in ways that surprise you.

word among us