Years ago I was leading a small group in my neighborhood. We worshiped, studied the Bible, and prayed for each other and our community. I felt the Holy Spirit was saying not to advertise it, and He would draw people to it. It was all word-of-mouth, and we never knew who would show up.
One morning, a new woman came. When the prayer time started, she requested prayer for her left eye. Her ex-husband had beaten her head against a hardwood floor in the years before, and the neurologist had said there was permanent damage. There was nothing he could do.
For many years, she had had blurred vision as a result of the beating. In addition, the pupil of her left eye was like a cat’s pupil. Instead of being round, it was a vertical almond shape.
I asked her if she had been able to forgive her ex-husband, despite the terrible damage to her eye. She said she had, and was now happily re-married to a Christian man. (Unforgiveness can sometimes keep us from being healed).
All the women gathered around her as we stood and began to pray. Suddenly, a scripture that I had never memorized came to me. It was: “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, I give unto you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” (Acts 3:6) This is what Peter said to the man who was lame from birth, and was begging for alms at the gate of the temple, which is called Beautiful. The man was totally healed!
The only words that came out of my mouth were “Silver and gold....” Then I began to sob! I didn’t even know this woman, and had never experienced anything like what she had experienced. I realized my uncontrollable tears were the love of Jesus Christ being poured out. His presence in the room was so overwhelming!
I started to put my hand on her head as I said “Silver and gold...”, but I never even touched her. She was overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit, and fell to the floor!! Nothing like this had ever happened in our meetings before!
As she lay on her back, her eyelids were blinking faster than was humanly possible. We continued to pray. When she sat up, she automatically covered her right eye with her hand, and very excitedly yelled, “I can see! I can see!” Years of blurred vision was gone! We were amazed! The Bible says in Mark 16:18: “These signs shall follow those who believe...in My name they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
The next week, the woman came back to the meeting. Her pupil was no longer almond shaped. It was perfectly round and normal! (Some healings are progressive, rather than instant).
When we have asked Jesus to fill us with His Holy Spirit, just as He did the disciples on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:2-4, we can be assured that the same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in us! The people in the Upper Room were “endued with power from on high”, so they could do the same works Jesus did. That included laying hands on the sick, and seeing them healed. This gift is much more valuable than silver and gold. God is good, and He speaks today!