Yes, I have, and each time it has been an incredible, life-changing experience.
Have you ever thought about what it would have been like to be baptized by the Holy Spirit like the apostles were that day in the upper room? All fears would vanish, and all the pain, suffering, and confusion of seeing Jesus ascending into Heaven would be instantly gone!
While I do believe and have personally heard of instant miracles, I believe my personal healing journey, in particular, from unresolved grief and unacknowledged losses actually began unraveling gradually after I rested in the Spirit like the apostles did in the upper room that day many centuries ago.
This supernatural experience was gifted to me, by God, about
three months after my husband’s only brother unexpectedly died, which was six months after
the tragic death of a close friend who committed suicide. That year was a really
difficult season for me.
Through divine intervention, I was invited by some friends
to attend a spiritual retreat that was focused on the gifts of the Holy
Spirit. It was led by a dear priest whom
I was blessed to have crossed paths with a few years previously. He was an exorcist,
with many special gifts, one being the gift to read souls. That will be a story
for another time. It was through this holy man’s intercession, that for the
first time since becoming a Christian twenty years prior, I was able to rest in the
Spirit. (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, John 1:33, Acts 1:5)
My only reference for people resting in the Spirit back
then was from watching those eccentric evangelical shows on TV. They always left me wondering why anyone would
want to go through such embarrassing theatrics on a stage in front of live cameras
and an audience. No, thank you!!
I actually didn’t personally witness people resting in the
spirit, until 2006, after a healing service led by Alan Ames at the Atlanta
Eucharistic Congress. First, I need to say, what I experienced that evening in
person looked NOTHING like those loud, yelling, theatrical spectacles I had
seen on TV.
Thank God!
What I witnessed was done in a serene and orderly manner. People lined up and as Alan walked by each person,
blessing them on their foreheads, with the sign of the cross, some people
collapsed on the ground, while others just quietly walked back to their seats.
In the beginning, the falling bodies were a bit
alarming, and it didn’t help that I was sitting in the very front row. My dear friend who was sitting next to me verbally reassured me that it was fine. She explained that each person was just resting in a
deep peaceful sleep. As I started to look more closely at each person lying
on the floor, all I could see were rows of the most angelic, peace-filled sleeping
expressions on each and every person’s face! Occasionally I came across a person
that was crying, but the majority just rested there with content tranquility on
their faces. I’d never seen anything so beautiful and serene, and I was immediately hooked.
Since that Eucharistic Congress in 2006, I was blessed to
witness several more healing services over the next couple of years, where people
rested in the Spirit. Each time I went forward to get the blessing, I would end up
being one of those individuals that quietly walked back to my seat. That was
until this one particular spiritual retreat on the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
I remember it being an evening when the priest who
officiated the Mass beforehand, broke out in tongues during the consecration of
the Eucharist and as people chimed in around me in song, I closed my eyes and
it felt like I was in Heaven among angels.
The vibration and sensations in the air around me from everyone singing were so supernaturally uplifting, harmonious, in sync, and incredibly beautiful
and peaceful. That alone was truly an incredible experience.
After Mass, I happen to be behind my daughter, as we both
walk up for a healing blessing. We happened
to be in the same line as the holy priest, I mentioned earlier. I watched as the
priest rested his hand over my daughter to bless her and within seconds she
fell to the ground ever so gently, so peacefully. I remember her face was so angelic.
I’d never seen her expression look so radiant, beautiful, and peaceful.
Then it was my turn for the blessing. I remember looking
up at the priest at that very moment, feeling total and perfect surrender inside. All the
accumulated events of that past year had taken a huge toll on me. In that moment all I felt was a
deep longing for relief and to surrender all of it. I wanted to taste that inner
peace, from the Holy Spirit that I was seeing on my daughter’s angelic face. She was carrying that same peaceful
expression that I had witnessed so many times prior on other people’s faces. I
wonder if this is the same desperation that rich man in Hades felt, when he called out to Father
Abraham, to have mercy on him and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in
water and cool his tongue, for he was in anguish from the flames? (Luke 16: 24)
As I looked at the priest, there were no words exchanged between us, but he nodded and gently smiled before placing his hand gently on top of my head. Then he whispered something to the Holy Spirit and blew gently in my face. I had seen him do this many times before me, so I was anticipating his warm breath, but instead, a cool almost cold wind blew upon me, and the next thing I knew I was waking up on the ground next to my daughter, who was still peacefully resting in the Spirit.
I was told by my friends that I was one of those people
who had cried while resting. I don’t remember crying, but I do remember at
some point a voice saying to me, “It’s okay, Jesus is with you”
and then instantly feeling warmth and joy. When I woke up I felt at such peace. All my fears, stress, and anxieties were gone.
I was not one of those people who had experienced some miraculous healing, but I did, however, feel reprieved from all the heaviness I had experienced earlier that year. I bet much like the apostles did in the upper room.
I can see now, in hindsight how the Holy Spirit gradually, over time started shifting and healing me from the inside out. Hidden wounds that had been inflicted upon me from past toxic relationships and painful traumatic circumstances had started surfacing and I was able to experience forgiveness and redemption. I learned how to grieve and heal from unresolved losses and I’m slowly piecing back together my childhood identity that was ripped away from me.
My journey of inner healing still continues to this day and will probably
last until the day I die. However, in the
interim, I will try to never miss an opportunity where I can rest in the
Spirit. I so LOVE the Holy Spirit!!!
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I pray you found what you were needing today. Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear how this post might have been helpful for you.
Remember you are not alone! No matter what you’ve done or failed to do you are still loved unconditionally by a very merciful and just Lord and Savior!
May God Bless You,
Leslie
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