My ringing phone broke the silence as I sat working at my computer. It was Paa Keesara, our dear church member from Surin. I sighed, knowing why she was calling. No doubt, it was the same request she had already made a couple times. I wished I could help, but until now I hadn’t been able to.

I answered the phone, and Paa Keesara got right to the point: “Ajarn! When can you come to my house and pray for my daughter’s bleeding? Are you free yet?”

Free? There will always be projects and other good things demanding my time, but “lest this woman weary me with her continual pleading,” I figured I had better make myself free soon.

“Okay,” I said, looking at my calendar. “I’ll stop by on the eighteenth, on my way back from Bangkok.”

“Thank you, Ajarn! And don’t forget the oil!”

“I won’t,” I assured her.

Hanging up the phone, I prayed, “Dear Lord, obviously this is not about what I can do. It’s about what You can do. But why do I always shrink away from these kinds of things? Please change my heart, and be glorified through this trip.”

About a week later, after a meeting in Bangkok, I stopped by Paa Keesara’s house, arriving at around 10 p.m. Bless her heart! She and her daughter Pu had been waiting since early evening. Since it was so late, I thought they would want to sleep first and then have the healing service in the morning. “Oh, no! Let’s do it now!” Paa Keesara insisted.

So we knelt down, all three of us, and I began to pray. “Lord, You are the almighty and merciful God. Your presence brings life, and Your touch brings healing! Please forgive us of our sins, heal us of our diseases, and help us to walk in new life in You.” Reaching for the little bottle of olive oil in my bag, I opened it and poured a small amount in my hand. I rubbed it on Pu’s forehead and continued praying. “Father God, for Christ’s sake, please touch Pu and give her the healing she desires. Her hope is in You, who alone are able. And Yours alone is the glory! Amen.” Finishing our prayer, we all smiled, and then each of us got ready to retire for the night. The next morning, I continued my trip homeward.

At home, I received another call from Paa Keesara. “Ajarn! Pu says that her flow of blood has stopped! She said she felt something change inside of her during the prayer last night, but she was too embarrassed to say anything. But she says the bleeding stopped during the prayer!”

Praise God! He’s still able! He still looks with compassion on suffering people like Pu and says, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering,” (Mark 5:34).

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