I spent two hours this morning doing ironing for a lovely little old lady, I really enjoy doing it as I get to listen to her tell me all about her life and things that have happened to her and she is also very open for me to pray for her and has experienced a healing in her back as a result of prayer. The other perk is, of course, that I get paid and in this economic climate every little helps as a big Supermarket says. I put my wages in my back pocket as I always do and left to walk home which is 5 mins round the corner. As soon as I got home I put my hand in my pocket and the money had gone - it didn't matter how many times I checked my pocket it was definitely gone! I headed straight back out to retrace my footsteps and check that I hadn't left it at the ladies house but no, there was no sign of it at all despite praying and putting all my treasure hunting skills into action! I came to the conclusion that it had been picked up by somebody and I prayed that they would be blessed by it. I had to fight the urge to keep 'kicking myself' for losing the money, but in the end I let it go and I do believe that the person who found it probably needed it more than me.
I put this to the back of my mind as I was going out to meet a friend in town. I met her and had a lovely chat and a bit of a shop and then headed home. On my way home I was again aware of so many people who needed prayer but didn't quite take the step to approach them, feeling annoyed with myself I carried on home praying about it as I went. As I got to Exe Bridges roundabout a guy who was walking across the roundabout (no mean feat!) approached me and asked me for some money as he hadn't got any money for food. I don't usually give people money as I am aware that most of the time it is used for drink or drugs but this guy seemed different, and he asked really apologetically and politely. I thought, why not, so I gave him a bit of money and then started to chat to him. He said that he had only been homeless since October, when the job that he had at a Caravan Park came to an end. His accommodation was included in the job so he lost his caravan as well! Since then he had been on the streets and been trying to get work but couldn't get anything. I listened for a bit and asked questions and then told him that I was a Christian and asked if I could pray for him. He was so grateful and accepted eagerly, so I prayed for blessings in his life, a job and a house and for his two daughters that they would be blessed as well. I asked him if he knew God and he said yes and that he prayed so I encouraged him to keep praying and told him how much he was loved by his Father in heaven. He went on his way after warmly shaking me by the hand and saying thank you.
This encounter really put losing my money into perspective - this guy had lost his job, his house and his children in one go! I find that too huge to get my head around but I will keep praying for him and also keep my eye out for him so that I can catch up and see what God is doing in his life. A prayer of blessing is a powerful thing!
