RANDY’S STORY:

Randy, God has healed me! For the first time in my life, I am breath­ing through my nose!” Rob Mitchell’s words took my breath away. It seemed impossible. And yet I knew his words had to be true. I had known Rob all my life. He had always been weak, always had difficulty breathing, al­ways had asthma. Several times a year he was taken to the hospital and put on a respirator to help him breathe normally, but his breathing was anything but normal. If he was in the room, everyone knew it. His loud wheezing was a con­stant reminder of his illness. But on that April night in 1971, I could no longer hear him breathing. The wheezing was gone. Rob was healed and I knew it!

…

Rob and I grew up together in church. … We heard stories from the Bible every week and believed them to be true. However, I don’t remember ever hearing a clear presentation of the Gospel message and of my need for salvation. I had certainly never heard of God healing people today. … One day the pastor of the church asked if I would like to participate in a special Sunday school class for kids who had not yet made a commitment to Christ and who were not members of the church. … At the end of this course, the pastor invited all of us to go forward in church and make a public decision for Christ, following him in baptism.

… I was baptized and joined the church. There was very little change in my life as a result of this decision. …

Four years later, Steve Stockley, a new youth director in our church, decided to organize a youth retreat. …

… Billy Long was a student at Oral Roberts Univer­sity in Tulsa, Oklahoma, preparing with his wife Skipper to work in China. …

At the end of his message, Billy asked all those who wanted to pray to go to the dorms. …

Back in the dorm, Billy noticed Rob’s labored breathing and asked if he wanted to be healed. … Rob raised his hands into the air and responded: “Yes, I want to be healed.” Billy laid his hands on his head and prayed. The next thing Rob remembers is lying on his bunk and being able to breathe freely. He says, “It felt like I was able to suck all the furniture in the room into my lungs.” He told his little brother, Mason, “I can breathe.” Mason placed his head on Rob’s chest to listen and just said, “Wow!”

I was also wowed by Rob’s miraculous healing. I was overwhelmed by the power of God. Rob continued around the room telling everyone that God had healed him. As the news spread, chaos broke out. People did not know what to do in the presence of the living God. Some held hands in a circle and began to dance. Others shouted. Others cried with joy. Others ran to ring the dinner bell over and over for hours. The news had to be proclaimed. A deci­sion was made to take Rob to town to call his parents and tell them the news. As many people as would fit crammed into a car to go share the good news.

In the midst of such pandemonium, shouting, talking, crying, rejoicing, I felt alone in the presence of God. It was as if the roof had been removed from that retreat center and God had come down right there among us. I became acutely aware of the presence of God and of my own selfish life. I lived to please myself, never thinking about the God who loved me and gave himself for me. Even the ‘good’ I did was only intended to cause others to think well of me. In that moment, I made a commitment to God. I said to him, “Wher­ever you want me to go, I will go. Whatever you want me to do, I will do. Whatever you want me to say, I will say.” I met the Lord of the universe that night, and my life changed radically. …

(Excerpts from Overwhelmed by the Spirit)