by Stephen Woerner, an Alliance international worker serving in Japan
While visiting a church one Sunday, I met an elderly lady, Mari*, and her adult son, after the service. Our 15-minute conversation was winding down, and she was about to head out. “Before you go, do you mind if I pray for your ankles?” I asked.
She was walking with a cane, and I had made a covenant with the Father to pray for any ill or injured person who was willing to let me.
Mari gladly consented. I prayed a short prayer in Japanese: “Ankles, in the name of Jesus, I command you to be healed now. Pain, go now in the name of Jesus. Father, I thank You for Your grace. I thank You for full restoration. Amen!”
“Amen!” Mari replied. “Well, I should get going now,” she added. “Thank you!”
“Hold on!” I said. “Let’s try it out. Does it still hurt?” Mari got up and walked, but there was no difference.
I asked, “May I pray again?” She graciously consented. This time I prayed the exact same thing in English.
I asked her to test it again. Mari stood up. As she did, her whole countenance filled with surprise. “Do you have any pain?” I asked.
Mari told me that her whole body had become lighter and she felt no more pain in her ankles. Filled with awe, she began walking around quickly. We praised God in our excitement.
Abundant Healing
I started chatting with her son to get to know him better. Little did I know that while I was talking with him, Mari was telling everyone in the church what Jesus had done for her. Suddenly, I was asked to pray for another lady, Rina, whose ankles hurt especially when she slept. She was quite elderly, frail, and had a hunched back.
I readily agreed and prayed.
The same thing happened—first, nothing. But when I prayed again, Rina started to say her ankles felt better but that her lower back hurt. I prayed for that as well and asked her to move around.
Not only did Rina say it felt better, but we also noticed her spine had straightened significantly. Because of her delight, she began to hobble around, holding her back as straight as she could. Others confirmed they hadn’t seen Rina walk like that in years.
As I was leaving, Mari returned to ask if I could pray for her again. Confused, I asked her what was wrong. She told me that because we were so focused on her ankles, she didn’t think to ask me to pray for her lower back. We prayed, and lo and behold, the Lord healed and straightened Mari’s back as well.
She was so excited and told me she just happened to visit this church today on a whim. I told her my family and I were just visiting as well. Mari couldn’t help but see the Lord’s guiding providence and was excited about what God had done for her.
Healing Takes Risk
This was a time where I witnessed Christ our Healer in an obvious, immediate way. The manifestation of His healing presence surprised and invigorated those who experienced it and stirred a new interest in the things of God. His presence was no longer abstract or merely conceptual but moved into the realm of the tangible to make a lasting impact in these women’s lives.
I have prayed for many people since then. I have witnessed some receive healing, but many more have not. This is not a glamorous calling, and it requires a willingness to take risks and look foolish.
I once assumed that the Spirit’s powerful demonstrations would happen naturally whenever it was “His will.” But I have learned through Scripture that the Lord is looking for people who will stand up and take risks, who honestly realize their faith needs to develop and strengthen—and that this will only happen through deliberate, consistent, risk-taking obedience no matter the results.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, who walked this earth 2,000 years ago, spent much of His time showing people His mercy by healing them regardless of their commitment to follow Him. On multiple occasions, the Scripture says, “and He healed everyone.”
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
He is looking for men and women who will obediently and boldly walk in His footsteps, who will proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom and demonstrate it with God’s power so that more people will enter into the Kingdom before He returns to restore all things.
*Names changed