Tonight in Denver, I met a woman who was very, very lost.

Her mother recently died. She’s been trying to make her way back to North Dakota but she didn’t have enough money to pay for all the bus fare. Her name was Birdie, and she was cold and desperate and sad.

When I told her how much God loves her, how much His heart breaks for her, and prayed that He would give her peace, she began to grieve. I held her and she sobbed into my shoulder. She told me that until then, she hadn’t cried for her mother. But now she was weeping and crying, “I want my mother, I want her back, what will I do without her?” My heart just went out to her. I prayed for God to protect her, direct her, and bring her strength in this time of grief.

Then she noticed that I was wearing gloves and she asked if I had any extra. Oh my goodness- I had a pair in my purse that I was holding onto, because earlier, I felt like God was saying I would need to give them away. Those gloves were for her!

After awhile spent listening to her and comforting her, I began to shake and shiver, but it wasn’t from the cold- I was toasty warm. I didn’t understand it at first, but I actually felt her spirit. She was so full of desperation and it was so strong that my spirit physically reacted to it. It was overwhelming and heart-breaking.

On top of all that, she revealed that she was completely deaf in her right ear (the eardrum was perforated) and her other ear was badly infected. She had a very hard time hearing. At this point I had my friend Brittany with me, and we called over two other friends. We explained the situation, and together the four of us prayed for healing and restoration for her ears, in the name of Jesus.

In the midst of prayer, Birdie exclaimed, “My ear! It popped!” and again a few moments later, “My other ear popped! I can hear!” We finished praying and asked her how she felt. She was astounded: “My ears, they popped, and I can hear everything better!!”

God came through in an incredible way tonight; He brought healing to the deaf! And yes, it’s true that this is not the end of Birdie’s troubles. She will still struggle over her mother’s death and she is still struggling to get back home. But God did a miracle tonight that brought her joy and amazement, and that she will not be able to forget.

I pray that just as He opened her physical ears, He will open her spiritual ears to hear His voice as well. I pray that she finds her way home safely, and that she truly learns of God’s love, comfort, and peace along the way.