Encountering the Lord

I have been at training camp for almost two weeks. I wanted to share two short stories of times that I have encountered the Lord as I handwash my clothes, break bread with new friends, worship, take bucket showers, and dive into Scripture.

What I Needed, When I Needed It:

On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, we have group workouts at 6:30. The first Tuesday, I had a very stressful morning of oversleeping and missing the walk we had planned. When I went to devotions at 7:15, we had some time to read our Bibles and pray on our own. I was praying that God would “search me and know me” I knew this was a verse from a Psalm, so I turned to Psalms to find it. When I turned to Psalms, I first read, “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me” (Psalm 3:4, ESV).

I turned to Psalms in search of a specific verse to pray, but God knew what I needed to hear. This verse unexpectedly became my prayer, speaking life and comfort into my scattered mind that morning. I was upset with myself for oversleeping, but I was reminded that I am blessed to have woken up. Every day that I wake up, it is God who wakes me. He has a plan for each day and a purpose for my life. It is not a coincidence that I woke up. He is at work in me and through me every day. 

A Holy Moment:

I have always struggled to have a personal relationship with Jesus. I put a lot of time into studying Scripture, but neglect prayer. I desire a relationship with Jesus, but I have always struggled to pursue that relationship. I know that he is there, waiting for me to come to him, but I always fail to do so.

Since being at training camp, I have intentionally spent time in silence praying and listening. I have found myself repeatedly praying, “Less of me; more of you.” This prayer was answered a few days ago during worship. As I was singing, I had an image of Jesus on the throne. I was standing at a distance, and he said to me, “Come to me. What are you waiting for?” I spent the rest of worship sitting with my eyes fixed on Jesus. When worship ended, I wanted to stay in that moment, fully surrendered and peacefully abiding in his presence. This was the first time I experienced his presence so fully, and I will remember this moment for the rest of my life.

I am so excited to continue to deepen my relationship with Jesus and my squad mates, and to learn new lessons about life and who God is every day. I can see God’s gentle hand leading me here: exactly where I need to be and with the people I am supposed to be with. He is intentional and good in every season. Praise God for his care for us.