Wednesday, 23-Nov-2011, the day before Thanksgiving, I was in my office and had just gotten my morning coffee. The day before a customer had sent me a Wireshark Ethernet trace that seemed to indicate that after a PC sent a huge telegram to our ECOM100 module, our module would stop responding and actually crash (ERR light would come on). I had investigated the trace and isolated the offending telegram, wrote it up, and sent it to our firmware engineer, Don, who is also part owner of the company I work for. So, first thing this morning, Don walks into my office and explains that he duplicated the failure and will now have to troubleshoot it to figure out what is actually happening.
But, before he left my office, he said, "Oh, and keep me in your prayers." I said, "Sure, Don, everything OK?" He begin to explain how that in the last several days he had bizarre symptoms of numbness on one side of his face and top of his head, and how one hand would feel weak. The symptoms would increase if he turned his head a certain way. He then went to the doctor and the doctor checked for all the things that would normally cause these symptoms. They scanned his head and all was well. So, lastly, they were going to run some tests on his spine thinking a possible pinched nerve. I asked, "Can you generate the symptoms right now by moving your head?" He moved his head forward a little and said, "Yes." I said, "Can we pray right now?" He agreed.
I laid my hand on his back but his back was already hot in one spot between his shoulder blades. He had started feeling it the moment I moved toward him after his agreement. That's all the Lord needed... ascension toward Him... simple child-like faith. One spot between his shoulder blades got very hot. I said, "I believe the doctors are right. It is your spine between your shoulder blades. Do you feel that?" He did. His face showed his wonderment and pleasant surprise. He was pretty amazed, but I could tell he was starting to get a little uncomfortable just standing there with me having my hands on his back. So I took my hands off and explained that the fact that it was hot in one spot meant we were connected to God and He was healing his back. I explained that we should stay with it until there is no more manifestation, but by now I could tell he just wanted to call it done.
Most Christians are not used to this type of ministry, unfortunately. We tend to give the ministry of laying on of hands a few minutes, yet we'll spend hours in a doctor's office. This is completely understandable with what we've been taught. I explained to Don that Jesus laid hands twice on a blind man (Mark 8:22-26) and that if it took Jesus two times, it might take us more; that is, if we didn't stay with it until there was no more manifestation.
But before he left, I asked him to do what he did before to generate the symptoms. Once again, he moved his head forward a little and said, "Wow. No, I don't feel a thing now." He moved his head more rigorously. Nothing! I told him, "I believe Jesus will keep working on that after you walk away." He agreed. I asked him to keep me posted.
UPDATE (08-Dec-2011): Don came in to my office today and told me that since I laid hands on him he's not experienced any more symptoms from this part of his spine between his shoulder blades. That particular symptom set completely disappeared! He also had an MRI done on his neck and they discovered 2 bulging discs. So he asked for prayer for that. I laid hands on him in my office again, and immediately his neck got so hot he began to sweat. I felt something move. The symptoms he had immediately disappeared again! No pain, no dizziness.
UPDATE (08-Dec-2011): Don came in to my office today and told me that since I laid hands on him he's not experienced any more symptoms from this part of his spine between his shoulder blades. That particular symptom set completely disappeared! He also had an MRI done on his neck and they discovered 2 bulging discs. So he asked for prayer for that. I laid hands on him in my office again, and immediately his neck got so hot he began to sweat. I felt something move. The symptoms he had immediately disappeared again! No pain, no dizziness.