My wife and I were leaving the Target store after doing a bit of shopping on Saturday night. It was about 7 p.m. and just getting dark.  Upon arriving at our car in the lot there was woman unloading her cart and preparing to get into her car parked directly next to our car.  She was moving slowly with a knee splint on her right leg.  I looked at my wife who was already looking at me, as if to say, “This must be from the Lord” – meaning it was a chance for us to be able to pray and show her the love of the Lord.

My wife took a couple of steps closer to the woman and asked, “How did you hurt your knee?” and introduced herself. The woman, who told us her name was Abby, said that she had damaged the meniscus and could not bend her knee without great pain.  We told her that we were Christians and that we believed God would heal her knee to show her how much He loved her.  Abby said that she was a Christian also and that we could certainly pray for her.  Laura and I prayed and spoke healing to her knee. After praying we asked her how it felt.  She looked at us with a kind of stunned look on her face, and I noticed a tear in the corner of her.  I was really not sure if this was a good or bad thing for her at this point. I explained that she could be very truthful with us, that we really just wanted to bless her and show her the love of God.  She now stated that she was shocked that strangers would show her such concern and love.

I felt like I had a word for her at this point and asked if she was “in a fearful place.”  Her face looked very pained.  She started by saying no, but then turned her face away looking down and made a comment about her husband not seeming as concerned for her pain as we were.  We asked if we could pray for her again and she was very willing.  We blessed her knee again, her home, her husband and asked that the love of God would fill her and her family, that He would make his power and love so real to her.  We asked how her knee felt and she said that it felt better but she would not know more until she took off her splint to lay down that night.

We asked her if she was okay again because she looked visibly shaken. She stated again that she could not imagine a stranger, loving her this way – she was very blessed by our taking the time to pray for her.   Tears were now on both cheeks.

She began to move toward her car again and we asked her again if she was okay, as she was obviously emotionally moved. My wife moved forward and asked her if she could give her a hug, which she was very open to. I watched them embrace and I started to cry.  We asked her if she was okay to drive home and if she lived far from there.  She said she was fine to drive and she lived close by.

We watched Abby from our car as we prepared to leave and she was just sitting in her car with her head down, I think she was crying. We have been praying for her since then.

People are so hungry for the love of God. Jesus can use you anywhere and at any time.

May the love of God fill you and overflow in you.  You do know, don’t you, that Jesus loves you so and wants to be with you every day in all your concerns, joys and pains?

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

David and Laura Knaup