The Power of Jesus’ Name

July 4, 2010, was truly a Day of Independence for me. I was extremely sad about something—actually the loss of something on which I had grown dependent. It was a sunny day meant for splashing at the pool and chomping at the church picnic, but I needed to be home in bed, alone. I felt empty, and empty felt terrible. What I didn’t know then is that “empty” is exactly where God can meet us most profoundly because it is God’s very nature to fill.

I wanted only my Bible, and I was led to find a specific verse which in the past had been meaningful to me: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” Short but sweet—2 Timothy 1:7. Who knew that you could ponder and dissect one sentence for several hours, but I did. In my heartache and mental turmoil, the Spirit of God counseled me greatly in the area of courage.

I knew (or I thought I did) why I needed courage, but I also wondered why Paul wrote these words to Timothy. The answer is found in the very next sentence, verse 8, which reads, “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord…But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.” Interesting reason, I thought. Even more interesting that for the next several days, God kept those words imprinted on my brain.

On July 7, I was at a nail salon seated next to a woman who was emotionally distraught. For the past three nights she’d been having nightmares of an intruder who would come into her bedroom while she was sleeping and choke her. The nightmares were so real that she wondered if they were real…all three nights she and her seven-year-old daughter had awakened screaming. She was a single mom, and she was terrified.

I sat there quietly, praying inside for this lady who was desperate for help. I prayed “in the power of Jesus’ name,” but I still had this overpowering feeling that I was supposed to do more. Paul’s words, “do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord” would not leave my mind. Although I don’t think I’d ever done such a thing before, I felt certain that God wanted me to tell her that JESUS was the answer to her fears…that JESUS could take away her nightmares and give her and her daughter a peaceful night’s rest…and that JESUS would that very night. So I did! I noticed the Vietnamese nail technicians who had offered a mixture of Buddhist and New Age advice looked at me a bit curiously.

I gave her my name and cell phone number and asked her to call me the next day if Jesus had answered my prayers. I’d felt such confidence in Jesus’ name and was genuinely surprised when the next twenty-four hours passed without hearing from her.

But two weeks later I ran into her at the salon. I was excited to see her but she was even more overjoyed to see me! She apologized profusely for having lost my phone number and exuberantly told me Jesus had indeed answered my prayer that very night! No more nightmares…she and her little girl had been sleeping peacefully for two weeks.

All I could do was praise God. While this sweet lady had met her Savior, God also reminded me of the sad, empty vessel I had been and how He filled me. He truly made my empty “cup runneth over” with streams of Living Water!

Do you have a story about proclaiming Jesus‘ name? If so, please do tell!!