Have you heard of a word of knowledge? The idea is that the Lord will give a prophetic insight into someone’s life in order to break through a stronghold they have and increase their faith for the work He wants to do in their life. It’s often associated with healing. This is the three-year story of the time the Lord gave me a word of knowledge via sympathetic pain to motivate a healing prayer.
Let’s call him Dalton. I met first Dalton at at intersection. I don’t recall the exact time, but if I had to guess it was sometime in late 2023. I talked with him for a bit, asked his name, gave him mine and then blessed him in Jesus’ name and shook his hand. The light turned green and I drove away. As I drove home I noticed this intense pain on my right ring finger that I couldn’t account for, but after a couple of minutes it went away. Did something rub off on me? Strange.
I saw Dalton again a couple months later in 2024 later at a nearby but different intersection. I didn’t recognize him until he said his name. Again I talked with him, shook his hand and blessed him in Jesus’ name. For the second time as I drove away this intense pain pierced my right ring finger. At this point I knew it was spiritual. Did something demonic rub off on me? Or was it from the Lord? I suspected it was a word of knowledge for healing. I asked a friend and spiritual mentor what they thought and they agreed. I made a note and left it in my vehicle that next time I saw him I was going to pray for Dalton and that he would be healed in Jesus’ name.
Months pass and I don’t see Dalton. I threw away the note and wondering what I was supposed to do with the word of knowledge?
Sunday, February 2, 2025. I am on the way home from church and I someone at an intersection. I roll down my window.
Me: Be Blessed in Jesus’ name. What’s your name?
Dalton: Dalton
Me: I’ve talked with you before! Do you have pain on your hand, in your right ring finger?
Dalton: Yes! From a welding accident
I then held his right hand in mine as if I was shaking it and prayed a short prayer. Lord I pray your healing power would flow and heal Dalton‘s hand, in Jesus’ name amen!
The light turns green and I start to drive away. I tell him to be blessed in Jesus’ name. He looks shocked and taken aback (in a good way) that I knew that he had pain. I also suspect that his shock was because he was healed in that moment.
Randy Clark describes words of knowledge this way:
Paul tell us that we are to desire to prophesy over all other gifts:
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.
My interpretation of this passage is that prophecy is the enabling gift for all others. When we are able to recognize the voice of the Lord and then are obedient to respond that is when the miraculous happens.
Have you gotten a word of knowledge before? Here is my prayer for you:
Lord please speak to your servants! Give us words that we can use to bless others, to give them hope, to give them faith such that they can be touched and healed. I pray that when You speak to us that we are receptive and open to it, in the form of a dream, a vision, a thought or a sympathetic pain. In Jesus’ Holy name amen.