The Laying On Of Hands: My Story

The date was Sunday night, October 21, 2007. We were at the "altar call" portion of the service with our guest, Reverend Joseph. As people came to the altar for prayer, I came up to be a "catcher": in the morning's services we'd had several persons who were slain in the Spirit, and my intent was to stand behind the people being prayed for in order to catch and ease them to the ground if they began to fall.

I stood behind a woman who was being prayed for. As Reverend Joseph began speaking, she began moving. Within seconds, she had lurched backwards. Since I was directly behind her, I too fell backwards. On my way down, the back of my head hit the wooden armrest on the pew and I suffered a concussion.

When I came to, I got up and went back to the altar (not a logical move, but I felt compelled to get back to where the action was). One of the nurses in the congregation gave me a small ice pack so I could apply it to the area where my head was beginning to swell. But I found that I could not assist with only one hand free, so I put down the ice pack and continued to stand behind those being prayed for.

The altar call lasted around two hours, and much of the congregation left the service during the altar call because it was getting so late. After the last person had been prayed for I went to the kitchen and filled a plastic bag with ice, came back upstairs, and sat by myself on the first row in the sanctuary.

As I sat down, Pastor Sam walked over and asked me how I was doing. I said, "I'm okay except for this lump on my head." He reached and touched my head, moving his hand across from the back of my head almost to the crown.

Then Pastor Sam said, "There is no lump on your head."

I could not believe that he was so unaware- how could he not feel that huge knot on my head? I replied, "Yes there is. It's right here-" and then I touched the back of my head to show him where it was... and I couldn't find it. It wasn't there. No knot, no swelling, no nothing.

Though I did not realize it at the time, this was my introduction to the "basic thing" of the laying on of hands. There was a man of God acting in obedience to God's instruction (God's Person); there was submission to God and to the person God gave earthly authority to (God's Protocol); there were two people gathered together with God in the midst (God's Presence); and there was, in my case, an experience of physical healing (God's Power).

I am so grateful to God! He chose to manifest Himself on my behalf that night and, as the song says, I will never be the same again. My prayer is that you will be encouraged from my story, and that you too will see the manifestation of God's power in your life as you humbly participate in this community of faith.