My being from a strong charismatic church made this was an unlikely pairing. There was no five-year waiting period for him to evaluate me as being sent from God. The elders of his church were not so sure and would have been offended if they knew he asked me instead of them to go with him to minister to someone.
Setting the stage is important. This was a small church and most of the members were older. The remaining members were their children. The hymnals had been there 30 years. People had their seats permanently reserved. No one was seeking anything outside what they had seen before. I sometimes see Jesus as a big brother who puts his little brother in situations in which he is not comfortable. More than once I have looked to the heavens and said, “Really Lord, really?”
God was in this place. He is capable of moving in reference frames not our own.
There was a week-long revival scheduled. The evangelist Joe was a former gangster and captain in organized crime. He had given orders which resulted in bad outcomes for others. He had been saved and was now filled with the Holy Spirit. The revival fit the church.
Pastor Reggie turned to me and said, “There is someone who needs deliverance. Will you go with me to pray for her after the service?”
I would have walked through fire for Pastor Reggie. I agreed.
He looked at the evangelist on the stage and asked, “Do you think we should take him with us?” In the natural it sounded good. What this man had been through toughened him and gave him the ability to stand. He had been used to unquestioned authority over men in his previous life.
Driving to our destination Joe was excited. He quoted several scriptures on authority. He quoted several scriptures on defeating the devil.
I did not know we were going to a mental institution. When we arrived we were met at the door by the psychiatrist who had asked us to come. It was now about 10 o’clock at night. As we walked down the hall we heard an awful CD playing and I asked someone to turn it off. The CD entitled Sounds of Halloween and It had not dawned on me tomorrow was Halloween.
When we got to the room a nurse was seated on a chair on the far side of the bed. Mary, a woman in her late 30’s was on the bed in full-body restraints. Her husband and her psychiatrist had asked us to come and pray for her. She turned her head slowly to look us in the eye realizing we were Christians.
Joe looked at her and then he looked at us. “If you need me, I will be in the corner interceding for you,” he said,
I said to myself, “Really Lord, really?”
The psychiatrist informed us the nurse would have to be present and excused himself.
Click Follow to receive emails when this author adds content on Bublish
Comment on this Bubble
Your comment and a link to this bubble will also appear in your Facebook feed.