The Testimony

I entered the hospital that day depressed and worried.  I was facing major surgery the next day and a six-week recovery period afterwards.  At home, I had three small children who needed me; my youngest, at 13 months, had just started walking, and wanted someone to walk with her, holding her hand, most of the day.  Although my mom and dad were planning to take over for the next 6 weeks, I was worried that it would be too much for them.

My hospital roommate was a 20-something girl who had just had a baby, but she was hemorrhaging and hooked up to a lot of machines.  In her only good arm -- the one not hooked up to machines-- she held a Bible, and she talked to me about how good God is, and how much He loves us.

"Something is seriously wrong with me," I thought to myself.  I tended to worry about everything, and here she was with very serious problems, not worrying.  In fact, she was joyful!  That night, she told me her story.  She and her young husband had been hooked on drugs ever since high school.  Every Friday night at their house was a drug party; all their friends would come and bring their own drug of choice.  Everyone would get smashed, spend the night and lie around all Saturday recovering.  Of course, the marriage was falling apart, fighting was constant, and their lives were coming unglued from the center. 

In utter desperation, she agreed to go with a friend to her non-denominational, charismatic church.  There, for the first time in her life, she witnessed people being prayed over for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  She was afraid, and would not go forward, but the preacher singled her out from the front of the church.  Did she want prayer too?  Embarrassed, she walked to the front of the church, submitted to prayer and received a power in her life that changed her forever.  The next Sunday, she brought her husband, and he too received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Now, Friday nights at their house was Bible-study night, and their friends came to study and pray together.

That was a pretty amazing story I heard that night, but the evidence of change was right in front of my eyes.  She did not preach; she just told me what God had done for her.  The next morning, we both awoke early.  I was still worried about the effects of a general anesthetic, as my body did not react well to medicines.  She offered to read the psalms to me, and as she read, I heard myself saying, "I want to be baptized in the Holy Spirit."  I was surprised to hear those words coming out of my mouth, because they had not been in my head.  But when I heard myself saying them, my heart immediately assented:  " Yes, that is what I want." 

I knelt on the floor beside Dinette's bed as she laid one hand on me and prayed for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Immediately, I was enveloped by what felt like liquid love and the greatest peace I had ever experienced in my life.  I was no longer worried and anxious; everything was in the hands of God, and for the first time in my life, I actually trusted Him. 

There is much more to this story, but for now, know that it all came about because of one changed life and God allowing me to hear that testimony.  Whatever had happened to her was something I wanted in my life too. 

...and if you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him."