Lunch or God

Recently at a large spiritual event held in a fancy motel, people proclaiming their devotion and dedication to God, came from around the globe, to fellowship and praise the Lord as one body. At one of the well-attended meetings, just before lunch was to be served, an anointed preacher began to hear a word from the Lord about someone in the audience—and he began to share the highly specific illness and asking the person so afflicted to stand up. She did. He was moved to say more and the lady who stood up began to tremble and weep audibly.

Suddenly, the anointed preacher began to share the specific illness of another person and sharing that a healing was taking place now. “Would that person stand?” inquired the preacher. He did.

I sat next to my wife, who was on crutches, going through a very painful attack of gout. Oh, how she wanted God's healing touch! But, as the speaker looked at someone in the executive committee behind him, he suddenly exclaimed that lunch would be served immediately. “Oh, they tell me we are running out of time. Those of you who are participating in the luncheon, the food is ready.”

He looked very dismayed. “I hate to quit when the Holy Spirit is moving,” he said. He looked over at someone, who may have been in charge, and looked even sadder. He said, “I guess we have to, though.” I don't know whether this man of God was supposed to be one of the recipients of that $20 a plate lunch, but he chose instead to remain available in the auditorium.

The timing of God's test couldn't have been better, or more incriminating. For my wife and me, it was convicting. Our omniscient God already knew what our priorities were but, by His Holy Spirit coming into that place at that particular time, we all should have been embarrassed to put as our priority, lunch before a movement of God's Spirit.

I turned to my ailing wife and said, “Let's go meet that preacher.” She grabbed her crutches and hobbled slowly with me to the other side of the auditorium where we were greeted by this man of God. He compassionately observed the crutches and her foot. I began to explain an additional serious concern she had, but he stopped me before I could get a word out, and said, “Let's let the Holy Spirit tell me what that is.”

He prayed with my wife, deeply and sincerely, for a few minutes and when she didn't notice an immediate cessation of pain, he invited her to leave her crutches and walk with him a little while. Later, my wife explained that during the walk, the pain in her foot gradually left, the swelling went down and, as well, the Holy Spirit correctly told this man of God what that serious concern was and he shared with her that God was healing that as well.

As everyone went to the $20 a plate luncheon, God visited the auditorium where a man of God became a conduit of the Lord Who permanently and almost instantly healed a painful gout condition. That night, my wife slipped into her regular dress shoes and danced gratefully before the Lord.