A Night of Omnipotence

There was always this question in my mind about what the power of the Holy Spirit would look like or feel like. As I became older and learned of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, my curiosity intensified. I was hungry for God and longed to see His face. My belief is He gave me that longing, as he had always pursued me, causing me to seek Him. My only dilemna was I really wasn't sure how to connect with God. Sure, I knew about the importance of prayer, but I did not understand prayer, and certainly never heard of having an actual relationship with God.

I was just a baby Christian. Though I did already have an encounter with Jesus, this evening would present His power in a completely different way. I witnessed a true battle in the spiritual realm.

om·nip·o·tent (m-np-tnt)
adj.
Having unlimited or universal power, authority, or force; all-powerful.

One evening, I received a call from a dear friend. Cindy was on her way to Sacramento from southern California. Her mother, Ivy, was losing a long, painful battle with cancer. The Hospice Nurse called Cindy, encouraging her to come right away. I accompanied her to her mother’s house.

Parking was extremely limited, so I parked my car in a red zone. I suppose the reason I did this was I figured I would not be there long enough for the towing company to spot me.

I was seated in the living room with Cindy for awhile, as we talked about some of her fears. She had experienced some distance with her mom and her desire was to let all of that go. As we talked, she expressed her fear of what she might see when she walked into her mother's bedroom. They had not been together in a couple of months. She just wanted these last few hours with her mom consumed in peace and love.


My dear friend shared many tearful sentiments with her mother as I waited in the living room. After about an hour, Cindy came to the doorway and asked me to join her. I stood with Cindy at Ivy's bedside. She appeared to be restful. Cindy shared she did not know if her mother heard any of the words she shared with her, and she was very shaken by this. Ivy showed no response to Cindy's touch or her words. My belief was Ivy could hear her, but was unable to respond.

Ivy was Catholic, and her Bible was always nearby. As we stood at her bedside, I felt as if I should flip through her Bible, which was obviously well-read. There were notes written throughout the pages and many of her favorite scriptures were underlined and circled. I began reading them out loud to Ivy. The loud noise outside the bedroom window was quite distracting. It sounded like a hydraulic motor of some sort.

Right at that moment, I was overcome with an urgency to read through the scriptures. As the Holy Spirit took over, my reading quickened. My voice became louder, as I read above the noise outside the window, and searched the pages to read God's Word. It was as if the Holy Spirit was doing this, instead of me.

Suddenly, I set the Bible down, and told Cindy we needed to pray with her mom. There was a quickened urgency. The three of us held hands as I led us in prayer. It was still the Holy Spirit. This was not me, by no means. We prayed for the Lord to welcome Ivy, his beautiful daughter, into His arms.

Ivy responded with a squeeze to her daughter’s hand.

Cindy and I looked at each other and said, “Amen”.

At that very instant, Ivy took her last breath and was at rest.

This night God revealed his power in a mighty way; a memory I will always treasure in my heart. We were gathered in a Holy place in those few minutes. A friend would desribe them as a 'Thin Place', where the space between Heaven and Earth nearly touch.

The distraction from the noise outside the bedroom window was a tow truck impounding my car. Discernment in the Spirit told me Satan was attempting to steal the gift so beautifully and graciously given that evening.

Our Omnipotent God would not have that.