Yesterday as I was driving to youth, the only reason I was looking forward to it was the fact that I was going to be able to hang with some of my best friends. I know that shouldn't be the focus, but at this point, there are so many controversies that it was almost painful to go- especially with the drama going on. So I got to youth, and some of my good friends were just sitting around, doing nothing. After I changed my clothes in the bathroom I came out and everyone was standing on the court to choose teams for basketball. We played for about 20 minutes andd everyone was getting along great. It took me a long time to realize that we were all getting along perfectly, besides the name calling that comes when you know a person well enough.
I also realized that all of the kids around me were comfortable with each other for the first time in a long time. All of us were completely happy, and it was almost peaceful to think about. I felt no tensions of any sort, and maybe I even felt a tint of love and caring flowing through our youth as well. Because our normal youth leader wasn't there, I didn't expect that we would do much but just chill and hang with everybody. But I guess when you have low expectations, that's when God takes the oppurtunity to really blow your mind.
We went into the sanctuary for worship and I expected to see the screen up with worship songs from youtube. But Aletheia and Clayton, 2 of our youth leaders, and Erica were up on stage. Clayton gave a word from his heart about how God was going to change hearts tonight. "I feel that God does not want us to be a Friday night, Sunday morning generation. He never wanted it to be that way. He wanted it to be an everyday thing. Tuesday monring eating Captain crunch, he wants you to feel his presence. Thursday night readin a book He wants you to know he's there. I know alot of you have broken hearts tonight. Girls, you are going to dance with Jesus tonight, and guys, you are going to let the things tha hold you back, being tough and putting on an act, flirting, you're gonna let it go tonight. If anyone is ready for a change, wants and needs to feel God and see him for who he truly is, please come up to the front."
There was not a single person who put down his offer. For about 30 minutes people were in groups praying over each other. God's presence truly poured into the church that night. People were crying tears of joy from His overwhelming love and joy that he poured into their hearts. The Lord had me sobbing just because I knew he was in that room healing kids that had pushed him away for so long, including me. I felt pain and anger that I had held in for so long literally be taken out of me, as love and forgiveness and compassion were poured in. I prayed over my friends and was priveleged enough to praise his name aloud without shame. Boys and girls- sons and daughters of the king came out of their comfort zones to weep and pray for each other. At that moment I realized I loved everyone in that room so much, it was almost painful, but in a good way.
I had prophetic words for a few people and then I realized something: God was just giving us a glimpse of what Camp Undignified and the rest of this summer is going to be like. As I prayed to him it was almost as if he said: Ebony, I love you, but this isn't even an ounce of what I have in store for all of you. You haven't seen anything yet." Just that thought was enough to make me smile, and bring me a peace that I had not accepted in a long time. Day by day, I knew he was going to continue breaking our hearts down so that he could stay in and comfort us. I prayed that the kids who weren't at youth could experience what we did that night. I feel like last night was God's way of showing us that even when the storm rages, He is capable of calming it with the touch of his hands. I walked out of the church feeling like God had embraced all of us and had plans for us that we couldn't even imagine. It was a pretty exciting feeling :)
Psalm 89:2, 8 I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself... O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.
