Since I was a child, I have had to deal with it. It is almost always something done out of compassion, a sincere desire to see God do a miracle or provide healing. Now, before I get too far into this, let me make something clear—I have never nor will I ever, try and extinguish someone’s faith by diminishing their zeal to be used by God. I strongly believe in the power of God to heal, and I have seen Him do so many miracles in the span of my life and ministry.
You see, I was born with only one hand, and there have been more times than I can count (and I can only count to five unless I take my shoes off), when people operating in sincere compassion have prayed that God would do a miracle for me, like the turning of water to wine, causing my arm to grow with a perfect left hand violently protruding off the wrist. Now, I must say I am very comfortable in who I am and how I was born. That is not to say I couldn’t use a hand (see what I did there?) occasionally, but for the most part I am all right, and I believe what appears to be a disadvantage to many has been one of the greatest advantages in my life.
The Scriptures tell us we are fearfully and wonderfully made, that God shaped and formed us in the womb with a plan that is far greater than any of us could imagine. I cannot argue with that truth because it speaks to the sovereignty of God. However, I have discovered many people who live with disabilities or challenges in their bodies and minds already live under a stigma that society or others close to them may have created.
It is with this in mind that I approach this sensitive subject of praying for those who have unique challenges both physically and mentally. If we are not careful, we can perceive people with various challenges as not being whole or complete, that there is something broken in their lives that needs to be fixed. That they are somewhat flawed because of their challenges. Coming from someone who has faced that scenario at various moments in my life, I plead for your understanding.
I want to reiterate; God can do anything no matter what the challenge appears to be or may look like to the naked eye. If God were to miraculously grow a hand from my nub, I would gladly thank Him (although my ministry may be over—just kidding).
In situations like what I have described, let’s turn to Scripture to give us direction in how to approach opportunities like these. In Mark 10 we are introduced to a man known as Bartimaeus, a blind beggar. It is apparent what his issue is, he is blind and everyone around him is aware of his condition. But instead of assuming what Bartimaeus needs, Jesus compassionately asked him a probing question: “What do you want me to do for you?”
No doubt those nearby were scratching their heads thinking to themselves, “Is Jesus blind Himself? Is this miracle worker not able to see what is in front of Him? Instead of assuming what this man’s need was, Jesus took time to ask Bartimaeus what he truly desired.
Instead of assuming we know the needs of individuals due to what they look like, what appears to be missing, or what appears to be going on in their life, maybe we should stop for a moment and ask, “What can I pray with you about?”
There are moments in life when I just want to reach out and touch God, but a well-meaning child of God feels I am in a posture of prayer for a miracle because I do not have two hands to clap together or can’t fully participate in “here’s the church and there’s the steeple, open the door and see all the people” during the children’s revival. You see, I only get four people in my congregation! Don’t even get me started on Father Abraham.
It is my heartfelt desire not to discourage anyone from praying with people with evident needs, and if I have caused you to think that way after reading this article, please forgive me. It is not my intention at all. I just believe that it would be wise that we be sensitive to people and their needs and ask, when appropriate, what they may be needing from God in their lives. I would even go so far as to say, if you are praying with a child that may have challenges, ask a parent if it would be okay to pray with him or her, and if so, what would be appropriate to pray about.
In this hour we have a tremendous opportunity to minister to families that have been touched by so many different obstacles and physical challenges. May we be prayerful and sensitive to their needs and allow God to use each of us as a vessel of His mercy and compassion
Darin Sargent was born with a unique gift of having only one hand and it has helped him see life from a different perspective than most. He works at the UPCI World Headquarters and is the Director of Ministry Central and is an international speaker. In 1993 he married the love of his life and together they have raised three amazing kids that still think having a dad with one arm is kind of cool! Check out the book he wrote Thank You Mr. Jenkins which is the true heart-warming story of a teacher who decided to make a difference in the life of one child that was born differently. It will inspire you to embrace your uniqueness and understand that it is a blessing and not a curse.