In my “Power-Packed Kids” blog post a couple of weeks ago, I promised that in the forthcoming posts to share several testimonies of children who experienced the power of the Holy Spirit. Here is the second testimony in this series.
The place: A home in Lake Worth, Florida (a city adjacent to West Palm Beach)
The background for the testimony: God’s Spirit moved upon and through a ten-year-old boy
God’s power released through boys and girls: Early one evening as I was finishing my day at the church office and walking towards my vehicle to return home, I heard the voice of a lady calling my name. Upon getting my attention, she told me she had driven to the church so that she could pose a question. Here was her question, “Pastor Billy, do you believe that children can pray in the Spirit in other tongues?” She then gave me the background for her question. A few days earlier, her ten-year-old son Xavier asked if he could pray for her. To her, that wasn’t an issue. In fact, she welcomed his desire to pray, that is until she heard Xavier begin to pray in other tongues. She told me that she knew that praying in other tongues is scriptural because she often prayed in her heavenly prayer language. But, children praying in the Spirit? This was new to her. After I shared my affirmative answer supported by the scriptures (Joel 2:28-29, Luke 11:13, Acts 2:4, 38-39, 1 Corinthians 14:2,4), her mind was at peace and she left to return home.
I could end the story at this point and that would be enough to give thanks to God. But wait, there’s more. A couple of weeks later, after one of our three weekend services, I was standing at the back door hugging each child as they left the auditorium when Xavier’s mother caught my attention and pulled me aside to give me an update. I learned that Xavier a few days later asked to pray for his mother and once again began to pray in other tongues. But, this time, in addition to praying in his prayer language, he turned to his mother and said, “Momma, here is what the Holy Spirit was saying.” In other words, he gave the interpretation of his message in tongues (1 Corinthians 12:10; 14:13). Xavier’s mother was greatly blessed by the work of the Holy Spirit through her son.
Takeaway: The Holy Spirit working in children isn’t confined to a church building. He can and does want to operate powerfully in and through boys and girls at home, school, playground, or wherever they might be.
In my next post, I will share another testimony of God’s power displayed in a child from Chattanooga, Tennessee.
NOTE: I readily recognize that this blog’s readership is so very diverse. There are many readers from numerous nations and denominational backgrounds. With my squeezing a testimony that could or perhaps should have added several more paragraphs, today’s post may have created questions in your mind about the ways that the Holy Spirit ministers to and through believers. If you are one of those individuals, please take a minute and send me an email with your question(s). I will quickly respond. You can reach me at [email protected].
