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This is a post I have been wanting to write for a while. I have delayed it because the experience I will describe is so special and personal to me that I was debating whether or not to post it, while at the same time I wanted to use a megaphone to let everyone know how great is my God!

I mentioned in one of my previous posts that Bethel has “Healing Rooms,” which is a ministry focused on praying for people for physical healing. This can be physical healing of any kind. They will pray for everything from broken fingers and allergies to arthritis and cancer. There is no cutoff for what Jesus will heal; you don’t have to be this tall to ride the healing train, folks. This is a reality I have struggled with, actually. In my heart I get offended that someone would seek prayer for healing for food allergies when there are people that are dying from terminal diseases. The point though, is that there is NO disease in the Kingdom of Heaven. Heaven is not just free of cancer and diabetes – the Kingdom has no tolerance for illness of any sort, and since Bethel goes after bringing the Kingdom “on Earth as it is in Heaven,” there is no hierarchy for healing, because God’s plan from the beginning was for there to be nothing but Eden.

The people that pray over those seeking healing are called “prayer servants,” and they are all trained by Bethel. There are usually groups of two three prayer servants, partly because they often need someone to “catch” people in case they fall over (not because they get hit in the head, like you may have seen on TBN, but because people can sometimes get slain in the Spirit; more on this soon). People come from all over the world to come to the healing rooms, which is part of what has made Bethel well-known. Not everyone receives healing, but what is so great is that even when it doesn’t happen, the prayer servants do not stop going after healing! They let the people leave with hope; even if the healing has not come now, it still could and will because God’s desire is always for healing. The reality is that Jesus died to save the world and so we are guaranteed healing if not on this earth than in Heaven. Side note: this is also an idea that has offended my heart, but I do believe it and I am working on it in my heart.

Okay, so I think I have given you enough disclaimers about the healing rooms without having told you anything about my experience I went to the healing rooms because I wanted someone to pray for my mom. My mom has had significant back pain for the past two years which has been debilitating and difficult, to put it mildly. You can stand in for other people for healing, so I was really excited to go to see if my mom would receive it. I went for my mom, but the Holy Spirit had a plan for me as well. I waited for a bit before two prayer servants picked me out and said it was my turn. I honestly did not know what to expect, because this was the environment; a worship team singing over everyone in the room, people rolling on the floor laughing, weird people laying on the floor face down, people quietly praying in a corner, and people yelling prayers at the top of their lungs. It could be potentially scary if you have never witnessed it before, but at this point I am sort of used to it, so it’s kind of fun to watch. There is nothing dangerous about anything that is going on, oddly enough there is a strong sense of peace in this place. All of these things which are so out of the ordinary become, in their own way, totally normal.

When the prayer servants approached me, the strongest feeling I had was anticipation! I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I was so excited to see what God was going to do. The prayer servants names were Tommy and Marjo, and I liked them immediately because they both had a very calm authority and kindness about them. I explained to them my mom’s story and after learning about her, Tommy asked me if I was sensitive to the Holy Spirit. My response was “I think so, sort of.” Tommy said, “I knew this about you – would you like to be more sensitive to Him?” I said, “Yes!” I was totally ready for more of the Spirit of God!

They prayed for my mom first, laying hands on my back where I know her back hurts. They prayed for full restoration and healing, commanding the pain to leave her. I love the way they prayed; like they really believed she would be healed (weird, right?)! I just stood there and received the prayer, listening to their words, so appreciative of their faith and boldness. After they prayed for my mom they began praying for me, which I thought was just really nice. They laid hands on me and began an impartation prayer, which means they ask God to impart upon me the gifts He has given them, such as discernment of the Holy Spirit. Tommy asked me to ask the Holy Spirit was He wanted to give me. It was at this point that I began to feel lightheaded. Not so much that I thought it was weird, but enough that I could definitely feel it. Tommy asked me what the Spirit told me, and I was confused because I heard nothing, only sensed feeling lightheaded. Almost as though Tommy was reading my thoughts, he said “It can be a sense.” I told him I felt lightheaded, and he said”It’s freedom!” and he prayed for more. He then prayed for fire of the Holy Spirit to fill me. I immediately felt weightless, almost like I was floating. Internally, I felt an incredible sense of peace, and I was so sure it was the Holy Spirit. Marjo prayed for more fire, and as the weightlessness began to overwhelm me, I actually started to fall backwards, losing any control of standing up. If Marjo were not standing behind me to catch me, I honestly would have fallen over.  All I remember thinking was, “I cannot believe this is happening TO ME!” There is no proper language to explain the peace I felt, the absolute certainty that what was happening to me had nothing to do with me, Tommy, or Marjo. It was God. Once I could get to my feet I began laughing hysterically out loud! Not because anything was funny, but because I was filled with the joy of the Lord, which Marjo had been speaking over me since they began praying! After I finally stopped laughing, I had to lay on the floor for 20 minutes. I was one of the weird people laying on the floor I was totally consumed in the glory of the Lord while lying on the floor that I swear it would have taken three people to pick me up. I was covered, blanketed in His presence.

My mom has actually been doing better since I went to the healing rooms! It was an encounter I would not trade for anything. For the first time in my life, I could physically feel the Holy Spirit. I thought I was only supposed to go for my mom, but He had a gift for me waiting as well. I felt so special, so loved, so taken care of. I never believed the Lord had such an encounter for me because I never thought I was worthy. In praying for healing for my mom I received healing for my heart. He took the time to love on me in a moment I thought was reserved for someone else.  I spent the next three days just soaking in my experience with Him, and I believe it is only the beginning of what He has to show me here. He is so good.

P.S. While I was there a woman testified that after being prayed for she felt no pain in her joints after having struggled with rheumatoid arthritis for 15 years. Bethel always asks people to have their healing verified by a doctor before testifying complete healing, but it is so awesome to hear a woman saying she had ZERO pain after 15 years of constant pain.

So this is my story, take it or leave it. God loves you either way.

Love joyously. Cindy