I was at a conference recently and heard a story from my friend Pete that's so inspired me.

Pete used to be a GP. One day a man walked into his surgery with a big lump on his neck.

Pete had seen enough of these to know straight away. This was almost certainly cancer.

So he did what any good doctor would do. He started writing an urgent referral to the hospital. He didn't say to the guy what he thought it was.

As the man was leaving, he turned around. "Pete, you're not always here," he said. "So where are you? What do you do when you're not working?" (Pete was a part time GP)

"Oh, I travel around doing miracles in the name of Jesus," Pete said. It just came out of his mouth.

The man stopped. "Could you do a miracle for me?"

So there and then, in the consulting room, Pete prayed for him.

Four months later, a woman came in to see Pete for something unrelated. Right at the end of the appointment, she said, "Oh, one more thing. You saw my husband a while ago. He wanted you to know that when he got to the hospital, there was no lump."

Pete didn't know what would happen when he prayed. He didn't wait for a feeling or a sign.

Someone asked, and he said yes.

This is the truth, isn't it. Jesus sent his disciples out and told them to heal the sick and tell people about the kingdom of God.

That instruction wasn't just for the twelve. It's also for us.

We don't get to decide the outcome, that part belongs to God. Our part is to offer who we are to the world around us, and then when someone shows interest, to do what we're called to do.

So next time someone opens up about something that's not right, don't just say "I'll pray for you" and do it later. Ask them, can I pray for you right now?

So many people, in my experience, will say yes. And you might be the one who gets to hear their story four months later.

Let's go make disciples.

Simon