How can I serve God if I'm stuck at home?
by Destiny Vazquez
I've received such rewarding responses. I've heard such heartfelt gratitude, tearful, choked voices, surprise, and delight, a softened tone, responses of, "I really needed that." I've seen relief, lightened hearts, and smiles in the eyes above a mask.
All I had to say was, "Can I pray with you right now?"
So far, no one has rejected my offer.
I had the pleasure and blessing to be called by God as I was driving with my three-year-old son to pick up an order of diapers from the store. As I approached the streetlight before my destination, the car in front of me came to an abrupt halt. The driver got out of the car and ran into the very busy intersection. A man came from the street toward me directing traffic around the stopped car. As I cautiously drove around the vehicle, I saw a man on the ground in the middle of the crosswalk. Out. Cold.
I drove on, hyperventilating and crying, as I realized that this just happened moments before I approached the intersection. I might have just seen a dead man.
My son sensed something was wrong. He was persistent, asking, "what's wrong mommy?” At first, I was at a loss for words. “It's okay. Everything is gonna be okay," was my response. I called my husband because I wasn't sure if I would be able to drive in the state I was in. "I think I need to go back,” I told him. “But I have Max with me. Are you okay with me taking him with me?" I felt very strongly that I needed to do something. He responded, "It's okay, if you feel God calling you, go."
My son and I walked up to the scene. An ambulance and firetrucks had already arrived. Witnesses and healthcare workers were scattered around. I approached in fear. Trembling as I remembered the bible verse, "I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a powerful demonstration by the Spirit so that your faith might not be based on men’s wisdom but on God’s power."
1 Corinthians 2:3-5
I asked five witnesses if we could pray with them. All five agreed in their blank states of shock. They asked me if I was okay too since I was still shaking and trembling. One thanked God for the testimony, another gave the sign of the cross after prayer. My son told me to wait. "We need to pray for the man mama." As we left the scene and they lifted the man into the ambulance, we saw him blinking. Still without any other movement, but he seemed to be alive.
My husband has shown me the depth and simplicity of love when he so effortlessly asked strangers if and how he could pray for them. He showed me real spiritual leader moments.
Since that incident, I have asked healthcare workers I've seen for my doctor appointments, at COVID testing sites when I've gone to be tested, over-the-phone appointments, and video appointments. I've asked telemarketers, customer service representatives, solicitors that come to the door, and crisis line responders--Can I pray for you? All have accepted the offer of prayer and encouraged me with their willingness, gratitude, and sound of renewed hope.
I pray that this story is encouraging to you. I always seek to know how the Spirit speaks to other children of God, so if you feel inspired to share the ways you spread love, please do because that is not something often shared. I am always looking for more ways to share the love. I know that the miracles Jesus did in the Bible were not for the unbelieving, but for those who believed He could do the work. So, I share this experience in hope that you can find that sharing love during this time might not be as impossible as once thought.
