If you attended the “31 Days of Prayer & Fasting–a Celebration to the Lord” last October, you were privileged to hear testimonies of God’s power and goodness. Make a point of asking many others in our church family and you’ll learn that those were just a small taste of the hundreds of examples of God’s work through this special time of prayer and fasting.

Many were forever touched and changed by the Holy Spirit. One such man anonymously shares his story below.

In truth, I’ve been unable to contain my excitement about the blessings I’m sharing in this story. The following took place over a two-week period. It’s my prayer that this account of the work of the Holy Spirit gives glory to the Father, in Christ Jesus, and also serves to edify His people.

Through “31 Days of Prayer & Fasting,” God placed me on my knees. In my helplessness I cried out, asking for encouragement and direction. To God be the glory–He answered that prayer!

One Tuesday morning I found myself lying prostrate on the floor of my office in the privacy of my home, despairing before God and yet praising Him even in the difficult times. I was experiencing the consequences of poor business decisions and, in every manner possible, this crisis was bringing greater depths of humility into my life.

As I confessed my sin and sought His understanding, I experienced His grace. I asked God to renew within me His purpose for my life, throw light upon my path and guide my every step. I thanked Him for His faithfulness and praised Him for His love.

One hour later, as I worked at my desk, the phone rang. It was a good friend of mine whom I hadn’t heard from for some time. In this unexpected call, he began to tell me that I had been on his mind that morning. He offered some of the kindest, most uplifting words that I could remember experiencing. This was to be the first of three encounters that day with individuals who brought messages of encouragement and even anointing.

In the early afternoon, a man whom I did not recognize approached me. He was the director where I work part-time. In addition to unsolicited words of encouragement, he asked me to think about a more considerable position where I work.

On my way home I drove by a small church. For the previous two weeks I had hoped to deliver “Every Man’s Battle for Purity” brochures to this church, but there were never cars in the parking lot. Today there was a single car. I soon found myself talking with a grandmother who was the self-described “Janitorial Ministry” of this church. She explained that she did not typically work days, but that day had felt it necessary to do some work at the “Lord’s house.” With unguarded excitement she proclaimed the “relevancy” of the EMBFP message and asked if we could pray about the upcoming event. I took her hand and we prayed as we stood there on the sidewalk.

When we finished she looked at me and said, “I have a word from the Lord, for you. Go in the Word. Go in the Word. Go in the Word. The Lord is blessing you and He is with you. He will bless this ministry. Your truck is going to be okay. Don’t worry about the finances. God has already lined up a man to do the repairs on it. Continue your service; God is with you. There will be three young men at this conference in whose lives God will use you. He will have you be there for these three young men.”

Honestly, I was reeling at this. But her kind words of encouragement tempered me a bit. On the other hand, my lack of faith caused me to wonder if I were in the company of someone who required services that I was incapable of providing. I sensed that her prayers were genuine and that her spirit was one of truth. I decided that I would test what she had said by allowing God to either prove or disprove. As my Ford truck sat a short distance away, idling smoothly, I thanked her and wished her God’s blessings.

Three days later, I realized I still had nearly 1,000 EMBFP brochures and the event was the next day. Traveling home from NHC, I was led, no…compelled to distribute EMBFP brochures throughout neighborhoods on the north side. With the eventual help of a close friend, we delivered every last brochure.

As we slid the last brochure into a newspaper box, I smelled something burning. Upon leaving the neighborhood, a cloud of blue smoke rose from the front wheel well of my truck. That evening I was told by a mechanic, that the truck had between $500 and $1,500 worth of work required to fix brakes, brake lines and front-end problems. The truck had been loaned to me several weeks earlier and served me well…up until that point.

At the EMBFP conference the following day, I was scheduled to volunteer at the book tables, but found myself needed in a variety of other capacities. At one point, while directing traffic in the parking lot, I met a man who had been severely injured in an automobile accident years earlier. I befriended him as I accompanied him into the church. I cannot put into words what a blessing he was to me that day.

Later, as the men re-entered church after the canteen break, I noticed one young man stayed behind on the sidewalk. I asked his name and shared with him the goodness of God’s grace I had experienced through last year’s EMBFP event. Still, no thought about what had been prophesied to me earlier in the week had crept into my mind.

At one point, I was asked to be a chaplain for men in the balcony. As I prayed from a balcony seat, I then remembered what the woman had said about there being three men. I wondered.

As the call was made for men to approach chaplains on their way to cross in front of the church, I found myself being nearly trampled. The rush of men from the balcony was so immediate and swift that I was soon left alone to experience the panoramic scene of brokenness from above. As I prayed and worshiped, I also wept.

A young man who stayed behind approached me. He was alone and wrestling with feelings of helplessness. We prayed and then he went forward to the cross. Afterward, reflecting on the day, I recalled that there had been others, even after these three. I thanked God for each of them, but these three ministered to me in ways that only God could.

As the following week progressed, I prayed about the repairs for my truck. I asked in faith for God to lead me to that man whom He had prepared to fix my truck. As easily as one remembers which cupboard contains the cans of baked beans, a name came to me from years ago. I called this man. Imagine my surprise when he told me, “Ford is my middle name and if I specialize in anything, it would be front-ends and brakes.” Recently retired and working from his garage, he assured me that he could not only do the work, but could probably save me over half the cost.

Later that week, EMBFP Boot Camp drew to a close with a celebratory meeting on Friday morning. As the morning began, I leaned over to a fellow Sergeant and whispered, “If we could see with spiritual eyes, imagine the warriors that would be present all around this sanctuary!” He agreed. As the morning concluded, recognition was given to all of those men who had successfully completed the boot camp. When everyone’s name had been announced, the men rose to their feet and spontaneously began what would become a prolonged and emotionally charged applause.

I resumed my post in the lobby, extending encouragement and thanks to the men as they left. That’s when the young man whom I had first met on the sidewalk in front of the church approached. That is when the young man whom I had first met on the sidewalk in front of the church approached and said, “I have to tell you something.” He leaned in almost as though he were embarrassed and continued, “When we were clapping in there, I was looking around. I heard loud voices, shouts and cheering. But as I was looking at all of the men, their mouths were closed. Did you hear it, too?” He explained he heard loud exclamations, although I had only heard applause and an occasional, “WhooAah!” (the military version of “Amen!”). I smiled and told him, “Praise God! He allowed you to hear the celebration of angels taking place around us!” I then told him how God used him to be a blessing in my life. A short time later, I was able to share those same words with the young man whom I had met on the balcony.

Even as I write this I am moved to tears! God has a plan for each of us and for His church. He knows our hearts and He weaves our very lives together, creating a tapestry of faith. In its brilliance, it reveals the workings of His Holy Spirit through the prayers of righteous men and women. This is not a righteousness of our own, but one found in Jesus Christ. This righteousness was born on the cross–a life of brokenness, humility, submission and finally death…death to the life of our own choosing, that we may live the life of God’s choosing…a life lived on our knees, in prayer.