Christen Cota had spent over thirty years in pastoral ministry in Kansas City, Missouri. He knew the voice of God. He preached it. He counselled others into hearing it. But for twenty of those years, his physical hearing had been fading.
Two Decades of Silence Closing In
The hearing loss was gradual at first — turning up the television, asking people to repeat themselves, sitting closer to the front at conferences. Then it accelerated. Complete hearing loss in his left ear about ten years before. The right ear compensating, then failing too.
On October 15, 2024, the remaining hearing in his right ear dropped out. Nearly total deafness. A man who had built his life on communication — preaching, counselling, leading worship — was facing a future defined by silence.
A Conference in Minnesota
Days later, Cota drove to Minnesota for the Holy Spirit 2024 National Leaders Meeting and Conference in St. Paul. He went not for healing but for community. He had no expectations beyond fellowship with other leaders who loved the Holy Spirit.
During one of the sessions, a prayer team gathered around him. They laid hands on him and prayed. Not for his hearing specifically at first — they prayed against burdens of doubt and shame. They asked the Holy Spirit to move.
What Happened Next
The Holy Spirit answered. Cota felt something shift — not just emotionally but physically. The silence that had been closing in for twenty years began to lift. Sound returned. Not partially. Not muffled. Clearly.
He had spent thirty years helping others hear the voice of God. Now the Holy Spirit was helping him hear again — literally.
The Holy Spirit Is Still Doing This
Cota's story is not ancient history. It happened in October 2024. At a conference. In Minnesota. Through a prayer team made up of ordinary believers who asked the Holy Spirit to move.
This is what the Holy Spirit does. He does not reserve healing for the spectacular or the famous. He heals a pastoral associate from Kansas City who drove to a conference and let people pray for him.
If you have been losing something — hearing, hope, health — the Holy Spirit is not limited by the duration of the loss. Twenty years of deafness was not too much for Him. Your situation is not either.
