As tears streamed down my face, my heart began to race, and my stomach leaped with joy, I was at a loss for words. For the first time in my life, I could hear God’s voice loud and clear. Yes, God is real and when you pray, He answers, but never right away. He takes you on a long, gravelly, winding road before that can be revealed. God sits somewhere down a dirt road off in the distance and He will occasionally make an appearance in your life when you feel the need to invite Him in, and He feels ready. At least this was the picture I had painted for the past 20 years of my life. It’s not that I had never seen God work in my life, because He had done some great things. God was always there to pull me out of bouts of depression, remove me from toxic relationships, save me from harmful situations, and teach me right from wrong; however, when the lesson was over and all was restored, He walked back down the dirt road to His humble abode. I was off to worry about my life, while He went on to care for someone else’s needs. I saw God as my knight and shinning armor that would always come to save the day, but I was the damsel in distress who wasn’t worth saving. After the shameful life I have lived, God deserved to live as far from me as possible, but the moment I heard His voice answering my prayer, right after I breathed the word Amen, that all changed.
A World Race Mission Trip was nothing I had ever considered and frankly I didn’t want to do it. Nine months without my family, nine months away from civilization as I know it, nine months away from my friends, family, and all the things that give me comfort and stability. Who would want to leave it all behind for NINE WHOLE MONTHS? Yet, the trip continued to weigh heavily on my heart for weeks. It became one of those occasions where this damsel in distress needed her knight in shining armor to make the trip back into her life because I needed answers! “Lord if this trip is your will for me then you have to send me a sign because otherwise I am brushing it off.” I expected an answer, I really did; however, I was ready to endure that dreadful winding road before I even got a glimpse of what that answer might be. As I stood up from muttering the word “Amen,” a girl began walking towards me. When she approached me, she told me that God laid it on her heart to tell me that she was going to do anything in her power to help me go on this trip because she felt this was what God was calling me to do. In this moment, a wave of conformation flowed through my body and I became at peace with the severity of the trip. Speechless, breathless, and in awe, I became aware of the true reality of God. He doesn’t live down some dirt road; He lives within the followers of Christ. He doesn’t only appear when I ask or when He feels ready, but He always remains by my side! He could never deem me as unworthy because through Christ all of my sins are forgiven. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior who cares for me always. No matter the hour or my circumstances, He cares, and when I ask, He answers. His answers are instant even though I am not always able to see them right away and the same is true for you. God cares and loves YOU. He cares about your struggles, pain, and situations. When you call, He comes running with arms wide open. God is not only there in your times of need, but He remains by your side through the good and the bad. So the next time that you feel as if God is somewhere off in the distance down a dirt road and that you are facing this world alone, remember that He is always by your side. Pray and open your heart to your Lord and Savior and you will feel the emptiness inside you vanish!
