As I walked through the side entrance of the auditorium, I saw a 72-year-old woman standing there. First of all, when you see a 72-year-old woman, you don't ever say anything to her about violating security and being in restricted places. Now, you get a guy or even a young woman in a restricted area, and security will be all over that person. But a grandmother is no threat to anyone.
She was a sweet-looking little grandmother. She could get by security more often than anyone else you've ever seen. There she was. I saw her as I was walking by, and she was just smiling away at me.
So I said, "How are you doing?"
As soon as I said that, she grabbed me and threw me into a closet. She just pushed me in and then jumped in after me - right in front of these security guards! She slammed the door, looked at me and said, "I want a man!"
I said, "You've got to be kidding me!"
"I want a man, and I want him now!" she said again.
I wanted to say, "Woman, open that door!"
Boy, I could just see the headlines, "Evangelist in a Closet With a Seventy-Two-Year-Old Woman."
"What?" I said.
"I want a man!" she said. "I'm not dead!"
I told her I didn't want to talk about her problem. I had a problem of my own right then. This didn't look good.
She said, "I lost my husband several years ago, and I'm tired of being alone! I want a man! You're a man of God, and you know how to pray. Pray for me!"
What was I supposed to do? I mean, wouldn't you have prayed for that woman if she'd had you in the closet?
"Lord, give her a man!" I prayed. "Whatever she needs, give him to her - but make sure he's strong." This was a strong woman, bless God. She needed a strong man.
"Now open the door!" I shouted.
The guards tried to open the door, but she beat them to it. She opened it up and said, "Thank you. The two of us agreed! I'm going to get me a man."
And I thought, I don't doubt you will, sweetheart.
I leaped out of that closet, and one of the guards said, "Brother Jesse, we're sorry, but that woman just threw you in the closet."
"Don't you ever let old women get around me anymore!" I told them.
Maybe eleven months later I had to go back to Shreveport. I was preaching for a pastor there at his church. And as I was getting ready to go out and preach, I decided to go visit my tape table. I very seldom ever go to my tape table, but I just wanted to go back there before the service.
So I walked back there, and all of a sudden, here came that old lady who had hijacked me into the closet! I looked at her and saw right away that she had a man on her arm. And he was a good-looking man!
She looked at me and said, "Remember me?"
"Ah, yes, ma'am," I said.
"It worked," she said. "Look!" She gestured to the man. They were married, happy and blessed.
I looked at him and said, "Sir, are you in shape?"
"Yeah," he said. "I'm a jogger. I run about fifteen, twenty miles a week, and I eat right."
"You need to do that with her, don't you?" I said.
"How'd you know that?" he asked.
"Look," I said, "the Lord works in mysterious ways."
She was 72. He was about 74, but he didn't look it. She really didn't look 72 either. She looked about 55, really. She was in good shape and was actually quite a pretty lady.
I talked to her more after the service. "Boy," I said, "you kind of shook me up back there in the closet last year."
"Well," she said, "I read a Scripture that day and did what it said."
"Which one was that?" I asked.
"The violent take it by force" (Matt. 11:12.). That lady took the Scripture literally. She didn't care what it meant. She just knew it was meant for her. And it worked.
Most people think you have to get down on your knees and pray and fast for weeks for God to answer your prayers. But did you know that God hears you the minute you pray? It's true! He's listening to you at the moment you turn to Him. And it doesn't take much to get your prayers answered. You just need simple faith like that 72-year-old woman. She got a hold of a promise from God and believed it.
God will honor that. And God will honor your prayers too.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers