"We were closing out our feedback time with prayer, and the Holy Spirit swept down and fell onto our team like rain. God often moves in the most powerful ways when you are least expecting and this encounter was no different. As we were praying, I just felt an overwhelming sensation envelop my body. It felt like a pulse radiating through my body and that is often the feeling when I encounter the Holy Spirit. Other's in the team also have their own, unique way that the Holy Spirit physically manifests in their bodies. We started to pray for healing, healing in Mark's shoulder and Naomi's eyes."
(This intro comes from Hugh's blog) We have similar experiences with the Holy Spirit.
Hugh and I had a conversation earlier that day about the healing he had experienced on the Race. A conversation that caused me to realize I could also be healed from my shoulder pain.
This is how things unfolded:
My heart was in a place of worship first of all. Like I stated earlier, the conversation I had with Hugh lead me to a new realization that God wants only good for me. I had let myself believe for a long time that God didn't want to heal me of this shoulder injury because, when I was younger, I had gone to the doctor for healing instead of believing He wanted to and was capable of healing me. This was a lie that I had believed from the devil for a long time. The truth is that God wants to see the kingdom of Heaven here on earth. This is why He has given us His Spirit. To help us bring Heaven to earth. After hearing this from Hugh I finally believed that not only was God capable of healing me but that He wanted to make it happen. So during our evening prayer I started to pray, believing that God wanted to bring healing and that He was capable of doing it.
During my prayer I was running different scripture through in my head, as sometimes happens, and the passage in James about expressing my faith through actions came to mind. So I was lead to raise my hand in submission to God and started to pase around the living room. I kept thanking God for being my healer and sustainer. Then, out of my new realization of God's goodness toward me, it came into my mind to make a statement that I am not lowering my hands until I was healed. Knowing that He would give me strength enough to hold up my hands and believing He would honor my actions as my expression of faith.
My hands were raised for I dont know how long, I would say an hour, before Hugh came over and layed hands on me. He prayed to our Father that I would have the faith that he had when his knees were healed in month one. From that point on I didnt feel any pain in my shoulder. Usually when I raise my hand in prayer or worship I have a sharp pain in the outside of my shoulder, and this pain was gone!
I continued to pray for another two hours about our upcoming crusade and in worship to God. Then a peace came over me and I fell to my knees thanking God for his goodness. I lowered my hands and came over to Hugh and Jill, who were still up on the couch, and told them that my pain was gone.
This is where I don't know what to really say. I went the next day experiencing no pain in my shoulder, but noticing that I didn't have the same range of motion in my right as I did in my left.
I went to bed that night and had the worst dream of the race by far. I was surrounded by these black beings, that I can best describe as smoke/oil/shadow like. I have had dreams where I have seen them before but each time I have experienced them, like in my dream in Guatemala that I wrote the blog, spiritual warfare based on, I have called out for Jesus and woken up shortly after. But in this dream I didn't and these beings overtook me. I woke up in a state of fear and immediately noticed pain in my shoulder.
I took the next morning off from visiting the orphanage and tried to ask God why I was feeling this pain. I read through the gospel of Matthew and the story that stood out to me was Peter when he walked on the water and as soon as his faith wavered he began to sink. So I began to think it was a lack of faith that was causing the pain to return in my shoulder. My first thoughts were, after all, full range of motion had never been restored so I must not of been healed.
I continued to believe this until that night when I talked with my team about my dream and my experience. Hugh told me that it wasn't Peter walking on the water that had come to mind but the story of Job. I took this as a great encouragement and challenge to continue to worship God regardless of my circumstance. Knowing He is good!
So whether the returned pain in my shoulder is due to a lack of faith in me, or to a spiritual attack that has manifested in the physical, I am writing to you now with a new fire to grow in faith and bring the gospel of God's goodwill towards men through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Thank you to all who are supporting and praying for us on the World Race and for our ministry.
P.S. The night I talked to my team about the returned pain in my shoulder I prayed for God to protect me in my dreams and I had one of the best dreams I have had on the race. I was with Tim Pinkard (the youth group leader at my church) and Steve Whitney (my high school small group leader) and they asked me to bring in my old smoking piece to show the youth at the church what to stay away from. I told them that I didn't know where it was.
I awoke uplifted with the realization that I am so far from that person who I use to be. So much so that I can't even remember who I gave, what I thought was one of my most valuable possessions to.
I leave you with a quote from the book Hugh gave me to read after this experience.
When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill Johnson:
"Healing is never only one-dimensional. While a miracle may change one’s physical health, it also sparks a revolution deep within the human heart. Both reveal the nature of God, which must never be compromised through powerless Christianity."
While I may not have received a lasting physical healing, as of yet, from this experience, it has set a fire in my heart to show Gods power through the Spirit in my life. To not seek these things now would not be doing justice to what I have been given by the anointing of His Spirit.
Praise God for He is good, Love Mark
