CHAPTER 14

Godfrey in Bed

Thursday, 6 May 2010 — I was working at my computer in a rather cold room. No one else was home. Winter was approaching in the southern hemisphere. While working, God first gave me an impression and then clearly told me to go next door to my dad.

As I stepped out of the house, I recalled that my dad and mom (my stepmother) intended to visit friends that day. Instead of knocking on their door, I first checked for their car. Their parking bay was empty, so they had gone out. I pondered what the Lord had said, that I should go to my dad. God wouldn’t say so for nothing. I went to their bedroom window and called to him. To my surprise, he answered and asked me to come inside.

My dad was nearly eighty years old. I found him bundled up in bed during this chilly autumn season. He said he had just prayed and asked God to send me to pray for him. He would have gone out but was in so much pain in his hips, shoulders and neck, that he stayed in bed. And so, by the time I came to my dad in his bedroom, the Lord had already answered the first of his prayers, stirring in me great anticipation for what else was to come.

As he moved in bed, I saw him grimace from pain, and he explained his intense discomfort and struggle during the night. He said that he suffered sudden weakness in his body, and the widespread pain was so severe that by the time he would come upright to eat, his appetite was spoiled. Even when he tried, he couldn’t bring a spoon to his mouth. I was alarmed by his frailty but calm knowing that God was with us.

At some point, my family returned home, and my eldest son briefly entered the room to greet his grandfather, who replied that soon he’ll be without pain because God will heal him. After the two of us enjoyed a good few conversations on various topics, the Lord prompted me to pray for him, to which my dad heartily agreed.

There we sat holding hands, him lying down under layers of blankets, and me seated next to him on the bed’s edge. His hands were warm, while mine were frigid to the point of discomfort; a typical side effect of lengthy computer work. To hold my dad’s soft, warm hands was a particularly pleasant experience.

We then simply brought the matter before the Lord—the weakness, aches, pains, and stiffness of joints—asking the Lord to heal everything. My dad was thankful for the prayer as if that was enough. I told him we should wait for an answer, for God’s Word. We quietly waited while still holding hands.

A few moments later the Lord spoke gently, as He usually does, and said: “I will heal him and ease his pain. Today he will walk to the gate without pain and he will sit joyfully in the sun outside. Lay your hands on every place where there is pain and tell him that today he will find that I am a very good physician.”

I told my dad what our heavenly Father had just spoken. After hearing the Word of God, his reply was: “Amen!” With that settled, we gave thanks for God’s answer and asked the Lord to now perform His will on Earth as in heaven. In the Word, I already received instruction to lay hands on my dad, but still I waited on His detailed direction.

The Lord said I should start at the neck. This was confirmed a moment later when my dad asked me to start at his neck. I stood next to him and gently laid my hands on either side of his neck and shoulders.

Without speaking a word, by merely laying my hands in obedience to God, I felt divine virtue immediately flowing from me, and a few seconds later the Lord said I should ask him to move his neck to test it. Pain gone. God then instructed him to move and test his shoulders. Pain gone. Opening the blankets, I laid my hands on his hips and again virtue flowed and God promptly commanded a test. Again the pain was gone.

He now sat upright and asked for hands on his lower back. I leaned over and placed both hands low down there and again virtue flowed. No sooner had I started than the Lord commanded a test even though His ample virtue had not yet dissipated. Again the test revealed no pain.

My dad spontaneously proceeded to do many vigorous sit-ups in bed. He did them without a grimace on his face and shortly followed that with praise to God that he could now move and sit. I asked him to get out of bed, which he did without suffering.

How awesome God is! How true He is to His Word! How much love He pours out to us through His Word! How much power He has vested in His Word which dwells within us by His Spirit! O Joy! Pure Joy!

This is Christ in and through us unto others. He is so gentle, so peaceful and kind. He went about His healing work so quietly and efficiently that if one made the mistake of employing human reason while all this was going on, you would say nothing at all was happening. Of course, one shouldn’t doubt at all and instead simply obey God’s perfect commands. As quiet and as gentle as He is, He works so mightily that nothing can withstand Him. What a glorious mystery our God is.

My younger son entered the room to hear my dad testifying how God had just healed him. I saw the pleasure it gave my son to hear of such a precious thing being told by his grandfather.

I had wept quietly as I prayed for healing, wept as I received Word from God, wept while the healing virtue flowed, and I weep now to recount this wonderful thing God did for us today. Tears flow easily nowadays because I cannot contain God’s overwhelming goodness. This is a gentle flow of tears from an awestruck mind, giving way to euphoric surges of inner joy. My heart is lifted heavenward while my emotions back on Earth are pleasantly overwhelmed, my spirit basking in His magnificent presence.

I’m reminded to add that in none of this did I once utter the words: “In the name of Jesus.” Not once did I presumptuously command healing by the stripes of Jesus. Never did hubris cause me to command pain or illness to leave. I did only what God showed me to do, which, in this case, involved the silent laying on of hands.

Did Jesus Himself invoke the name of Jesus or the name of God? No, He did what His Father showed Him. His faithful obedience was to act in God’s explicit authority. This is the true meaning of praying and acting in God’s name: being sent by God as ambassador to perform a task and speak with His specific words.

We shouldn’t think that tagging on the words “in the name of Jesus” invokes God’s power as if He’s a magic genie to be summoned when we need Him. Instead, we are the lamp with God’s Holy Spirit already inside us. Nor should we erroneously think those words automatically place God’s seal of approval on whatever we’re praying or doing. We don’t command God—God commands His children.

Those commanded by God to go do His will, they think, speak, and act with God’s express authority for the situation—His Word, Christ—in us [John 14:20, John 17, 2 Corinthians 13:5, Galatians 2:20, 1 John 3:24, Revelation 3:20].

When we operate under divine direction, we proceed to naturally do what Jesus did.

By doing what God commanded, I was acting in His name, His Word—Jesus Christ—active in me for the ministry of healing to my dad. Here’s what I did in His name, according to His will in the situation: I stopped my computer work, stood up and walked out the house, knocked on my dad’s bedroom window, went into his room, told him God had sent me, prayed with him, waited on God’s answer, spoke the Word received from God, and laid hands on my dad. Obedience by faith causes God to manifest His power.

Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 — World English Bible

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God [Matthew 13:23, Luke 8:11, Romans 10:17] and faith without works is dead [James 2:14-26]. In the above situation, there are several works I did based on the faith I had received from God that day.

What if I never got up from behind my computer and didn’t walk out the house that day? What if my thoughts of my dad not being home prevented me from going to my Dad?

I could have noticed their car was gone, reinforcing my erroneous thoughts, and returned to my work. Despite my prior knowledge and evidence contrary to what God said, I still went to my dad. What if I went into my dad’s bedroom, heard his complaints and said: “I’m sorry to hear you’re feeling so bad today, Dad. Please excuse me, I must get back to my work. Hope you get well really soon.” Technically, I would have obeyed God, who commanded me to go to my dad. What if I had prayed with my dad without waiting on God’s answer and without obeying God’s further commands?

I was sent by God for a reason and, as His son who loves to do His will, was cloaked with that responsibility. Filled with God’s love and compassion for my dad, I carried out that responsibility to the fullest, as if Jesus Christ Himself had entered my dad’s room.

As a messenger or ambassador, I spoke what God spoke. As God’s obedient servant, I laid on hands as God commanded me to do. Besides the social interactions, I did nothing more and nothing less. It was His mighty Word spoken right there and then—which my dad and I both had faith in—that moved God to perform the instant healing.

We just asked, waited, listened, and obeyed while God did the real work. What God revealed to be His will in heaven—my dad’s healing that day—is what God brought to pass on Earth.

Within minutes, my dad was healed of widespread bodily weakness and pain so severe that it literally prevented him from eating or scratching his neck. Indeed, God is a very good physician.