The Longest Thirty Seconds of My Life
Be the one, be the change.
Heidi Baker often quotes the statement, ‘Stop for the one.’ I’m assuming that is a fundamental part of their heart. You are about to discover three personal experiences in stopping for the one, which I pray will open our thinking to how important and life-changing this simple statement is.
JUST GIVE ME THE ICE CREAM
Crystal and I were part of the Vineyard movement in Indianapolis, Indiana. At that time, I was known as a worship leader. I had just finished traveling with a soloist on CRU. We performed at Billy Graham crusades, national TV appearances, and concerts across the United States. I was her pianist and arranger. Crystal and I had recently begun to learn about the things of the spirit, such as healing, prophecy, and deliverance. Have you heard of a grocery store called Piggly Wiggly? This is where this story begins.
Sunday evenings in our home were a time to relax, watch a movie together, and share some ice cream. It was my job to go to the store and purchase the ice cream. I went to the ice cream cooler, and standing in front of the ice cream cabinet is a lady about a hundred and eighty-seven years old, weighing three pounds. She was the tiniest little woman. She was all bent over and hunched back. Her hands were incredibly arthritic. What was my goal? You have to remember my goal was ice cream, but she was standing about two inches in front of the doors to the ice cream cabinet, and I couldn’t move her out of the way. I’m thinking: how do I hip-check this lady without breaking her body? Maybe she’s studying the ice cream, or maybe she’s fallen asleep, when I hear in my spirit, ‘Say hello.’ That’s no big deal, right? But I know what hello leads to: a conversation. I wasn’t interested in a conversation, I was interested in – ice cream! Thank you very much. We’re on the same page. I heard it again. So, I said, “Hi, how are you?” And of course, she turns and looks up and says, “Hi.” I’m thinking, believing, and hoping that she’ll recognize that I’m standing there waiting for the ice cream and move out of the way so I can reach in, grab a half gallon, and be on my way. Simple is as simple does!
She doesn’t budge, and the Lord says to me, “Ask her how she’s doing.”
“What,” I said to God, “Have you seen her? Are you losing your eyesight? I’m seeing a lady that needs...” I had an internal pause before the word healing formed in my mind. “Oh, no, no, no, no, no. I mean, not healing. I don’t have time for this. Lord, I’ve got family at home. Family’s important. Family’s very important.” I started working on reasons not to respond to Him or to this woman. Ultimately, I responded to that inner voice of God. “How are you doing?” She told me, and she told me everything!
Then the Lord prompts me to pray for her. My response is, “Fine with me, if that gets her out of the way and I can get my ice cream.” With reservation and a bit of anxious thought, “May I pray for you?” Most people at this point think what a nice young man he is; he’s going to go home and pray for me. But no, not me, I had just been trained in how to pray for people, and I said, “I’d like to pray for you right now. Is that okay?” And she was not taken aback by that.
“May I put my hand on your arm - right here?” I asked.
“Yes, that’s fine,” she tried to look up at me with apparent pain.
“I’m going to take a minute and listen to God and ask for a prayer for you,” which became the longest thirty seconds of my life. It felt like months had passed. I’m sitting in a Piggly Wiggly in front of an ice cream cabinet, praying for a lady who needs healing. But obviously, I want to go home, eat ice cream, and watch a movie with my family. Rising from my heart and out of my mouth, a prayer ascends. In a moment, her crumpled left hand begins to unfold, and then the right hand begins to unfold. She began to stand upright. In that moment, I was not a worship leader. I was not a guy who had been on national TV or playing at a Billy Graham crusade. She didn’t know me from Adam. I was just a guy getting ice cream.
I was so excited. I ran out of there, and when I got home, I told my wife and daughter the story, realizing I never even got her name. She’s probably sitting in front of the ice cream cabinet, wondering, “ Who was that masked man?”