My Jesus Encounter In the Deep

If you struggle with your identity in Christ, this will help lead you into your own Jesus encounter, so you can heal your inner child and awaken to who he created you to be.

Last November, I had the most breathtaking yet unusual encounter after talking to a close friend. I shared how I struggled with a part of my heart that did not believe God truly loved me. I could feel that part of myself overthinking while trying to connect with Him in my quiet time that morning.

My friend picked up on something I said and suggested I may be trying to push away a broken part of my heart that needed healing. Deep down I was too scared to deal with the trauma hiding there. What if it was beyond repair or something I didn’t want to remember? It was time to ask Him to help me see what I might be pushing away.

So, I sat back on my couch, closed my eyes, and prayed as I felt knots in my stomach and was a bit uneasy about what He may show me. Suddenly, my Jesus encounter began, and took me to a place I wasn’t expecting. 

He Will Cover You With His Feathers

There I was around age five playing outside on a perfect day. 

I can hear the birds, see butterflies, and feel immensely grateful for the peace and safety that surrounds me. Then, Jesus appears as an angel of the Lord and He has wings. (Psalm 91:4) We are taken to a beautiful waterfall and I can hear the sound and feel the water as I am standing in front of it.

Then he covers my entire body with His wings, and suddenly I begin observing us outside of my body. I can no longer see myself at this point. This is when the Angel of the Lord appears to become an elevator (for lack of a better description), and we start going down!

I immediately know that as He takes me down, we are going to the past. Back where I was so afraid to go without Him. 

Events I remember begin flashing like a movie, some don’t make sense, or the memory is a bit blurry. The childhood house I grew up in immediately triggered anxiety and fear appears. There’s now a hint of dread I can feel, but I know I’m safe because He’s with me and brought me here for a reason. 

Jesus Says, "You're Going To Learn How To Breathe Underwater"

The first thing I see is my sister hiding in an unfinished wall. We would run and hide here when we felt scared because my parents were fighting or playing around as kids. I could see her fear in my memory. Then I could see some of the orphans my grandmother cared for that came to live with us after she died. One tried to lock me in a room, and I remember screaming so loud until he looked panic-stricken by my piercing scream. He opened the door as fast as he could! He was terrified of my father, who had an explosive temper, especially with him.

At this point in my Jesus encounter, I feel like I can’t breathe. No longer an observer but back in the encounter as myself, I hear Jesus say, “You’re going to learn how to breathe underwater.” This is where I am suddenly immersed underwater and floating to the bottom of the ocean, feeling a deep sense of peace going down. As I approached the sea floor, I realized two things. I was no longer a little girl but a baby, and He had taken me on a journey back to the womb, even though in my Jesus encounter, it looked like the bottom of an ocean.

"He Will Rejoice Over You With Singing" John 13:25

I finally land at the bottom, and a beautiful light is glowing all around me and over me. Now, I see myself as a fully developed baby wrapped in beautiful clothing. At this point in my Jesus encounter, I become an observer again, and Jesus is standing over baby me. He starts talking to me and singing over me like a doting father would. I’m astounded as the observer, seeing myself as His beloved little baby and feeling deeply loved.

He speaks over me, “There’s my little baby. There’s my precious girl, my sweet little victorious one” (the name Laurie means laurel and is a symbol of victory.) As He speaks, I can see my tiny glowing face beaming and smiling, staring at him in awe of his eyes and voice. I saw my eyes as a baby light up as he talked to me. He starts oohing and ahhing like I have done myself, at least a thousand times to a little happy baby staring at me. 

As I witnessed this incredible display of love and affection, I am now completely at ease, happy, and comfortable in my Jesus encounter. I felt fully engaged without a care in the world to interfere with this close connection with Him.

He Crowns Us With Victory

This is when I notice the setting around the baby. There were jewels, and everything around me looked like a treasure underwater. Jewels were shining or glistening, and everything around the baby at the bottom was glowing with light.

Then… something that floors me happens. Jesus takes a little tiny baby crown and places it on my head. More beautiful jewels and what looked like an ancient crown that was not made in this world.

This is when I pulled out of my Jesus encounter. Feeling completely overwhelmed with a love I have never felt before. How could this be happening, I think to myself?

I burst into tears that came from the pit of my stomach. Deep healing was taking place, and I could suddenly see the hidden identity he had given me before being born. 

Heaven became so real in this moment, His presence no longer felt worlds away, and the impossible suddenly became possible.

Soon after this emotional encounter, I realized something I had missed…

My Jesus encounter wasn’t just for me. It was a picture of how he sees ALL of his daughters. No matter where they are on their faith journey.

His message was this… you’re not an orphan anymore.

The Father placed a part of himself in your heart when he knit you together in your mother’s womb.

Your purpose is to know Him and yourself, so you can walk in oneness together. (John 14:20)

He’s calling His daughters into the deep. To hunt the treasure of your true identity only found in Him as a daughter of the King.

Read Healing Emotions through Prophetic Encounters

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