This story took place during my incarceration, and it taught me a spiritual lesson that helped me through some of the most questioning times in my spiri­tual walk. I believe it can help you in your journey with the Lord as well.

I remember that day like it was yester­day. I had been asked to pray for a guy that I had never seen in the chapel before. He had just received the terrible news that his mother was in an ICU and not expected to live. So I laid my hands upon him and started praying. Immediately, I heard the word “kidneys” come up in my spirit.

Now, I won’t speak for everyone, but kidneys aren’t what first comes to mind when I think of someone dying. I quickly decided to step out in faith and believe that I was hearing from God. And I prayed for his mother’s kidneys.

As soon as the word “kidneys” left my mouth, I felt him tremble under my hand. When I finished praying, he looked at me and said, “I know that was from God be­cause I never told you that my mother is dying from double kidney failure.”

Listen, at that moment, I felt like I had the faith to walk on water. Excitement and boldness flooded through my veins. I was convinced that his mother was going to step out of that hospital room miraculous­ly healed. The following week, I shared the testimony with everyone in the chapel. I boldly told them God would heal the guy’s mother. But then, sadly, a couple of days later, she died.

News of her death was like a punch to the gut. Not only did I hurt for this guy who’d just lost his mother, but I was con­fused and ashamed. I had stood before a chapel full of men and made a fool out of myself. I prayed for understanding, but it seemed as if God had gone silent.

Still, I continued with my ministry. One day the guy who had lost his mother came into the chapel. As I looked at him, I heard the Lord say to my spirit, “It was never about her. It was about her son.”

Suddenly, understanding filled my heart. This guy, before our prayer together, hadn’t wanted anything to do with God. Now, he was involved in every Christian activity the chapel offered. Every time I saw him, he had a Bible in his hand. He had even committed to moving into the faith-based dorm.

When the Lord first spoke the word “kid­neys” to me, it wasn’t because He was go­ing to heal her. That was my assumption, and I was wrong. Instead, God was pursu­ing one of His lost sons. And He was using this difficult situation to lay hold of the guy’s heart by revealing to him that God was real and present in his life. My prayer for his mother’s kidneys had ignited his faith and drawn him into a relationship with Christ.

I learned an important lesson from this: We can trust God even when things don’t go our way or when we don’t understand why something happened.

We only get to see a small portion of the picture God is painting. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8–9). We simply must not lean on our limited understanding (Proverbs 3:5–6). We have to rest on the simple truths that He is God and He loves us.

Maybe you’re going through a difficult season right now. Maybe your heart is overwhelmed as you search for answers. Remember, in this life, you will only know in part, but God sees the whole picture, and He is at work behind the scenes. You can be confident in Him, for He is the all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-powerful God. And that same God loves you!

KORY GORDON spent 11 years in incarceration, where he gave his life to Christ. He is now an evangelist, sharing the Good News that set him free. In 2021, he founded Damascus Road, a nonprofit residential discipleship program battling addiction, recidivism, and homelessness. Email damascusroad2021@gmail.com for more info.