January 5 - Carla

Day five. Carla was the cashier at the Pizza Hut tonight. On my way to pick up the pizza I prayed for God to give me a word for the cashier. As I was praying I felt the Lord tell me that she was a young woman in her 20's and that I should pray for her hands.

When I walked in to pick up my pizza, I shared that I had set a goal to pray for one stranger each day and I asked the two women standing at the counter if either of them needed prayer for something. Carla, the younger of the two, quickly replied that she'd gladly take some prayer for financial blessings.

I took her hands and began to pray for God to do mighty things in her life. I blessed her hands and the work that they do. I prayed over her bills and her paychecks. When we finished she said "You've made my day!"

I don't know about y'all but, after praying for someone I kind of run the whole thing over and over in my head about 100 times before seeing the whole thing clearly. In the midst of it I'm sort of tunnel vision, deer in headlights. So after leaving I realized that I felt reassured when I saw those two women at the counter when I walked in. God had given me a word for a young woman, and there she was! That reassurance gave me confidence to pray without focusing on my own fear and I was able to hear the Holy Spirit for Carla.

I asked if she had any pain in her hands before praying and she didn't. I later realized that maybe hearing from God about her hands had to do with her finances and maybe her receiving, or working with her hands.

Anyway, the whole thing went very smoothly. In fact, I'd say Carla has been my favorite so far. I felt prepared when I walked in because I had asked God for something specific beforehand and he had answered. I realize this journey is not all about me, it's about the people I'm praying for. But I look forward to learning as I go so that by the time the end of this year rolls around, I'll know what God means when he asks me to pray for someone's hands.