Saturday, July 19, 2014

Here I Raise My Ebenezer II (That Summer Youth Trip)

I first wrote a post about an Ebenezer Stone in my life back around Christmas time here.

My intention from the beginning was for that to be a blog series. That is still my intention, but "OCD Jenni" wanted to start in order & do it with pictures of me placing a stone in the particular place that happened, or a place that represented that event. Things have not worked out yet for me to get a stone to that first place & I plan to soon, but until then, I know that God wants me to share another "Ebenezer" moment. No, this moment is not the first that "OCD Jenni" was going to share, nor have I been able to go there to place a stone or take a picture. Regardless, I will be obedient.

Other than my salvation experience, this moment was the first time I experienced God's awesome presence & the Holy Spirit move so strongly. I've wrestled with God about sharing this time since I've started my blog-not because I don't want to share it. I want everyone to see this moment through my words! But because this time was such a holy moment, I don't think my Earthly vocabulary can begin to explain or describe it. It's definitely one of those times where "you had to be there." I think all my friends who witnessed it would agree. Nevertheless, I will try.

It was 1998, the Summer after my freshman year in high school, at a resort in Panama City Beach & we were on our Youth Trip. Before the trip, our Youth Pastor put a leadership team together made up of youth to plan the worship services for each night of the trip. We loved the experience of seeking God for His plan for each night of the trip. We put a lot into the planning, we expected God to do great things. The week had gone well. It wasn't a big camp, it was just our youth group & one from another church we did a lot of things with. Towards the end of the week, (it may have been the last night of the trip, I can't remember exactly) we had a worship service where the Spirit of the Lord was incredibly thick. The service began with a drama by some of the youth. It emphasized what happens after we die. After that we had a message, sang worship songs, & then our Youth Pastor gave an invitation. The invitation time was quiet (as you can probably imagine). The whole week, we may have had some pray about things, but not a lot of movement during this time. That night, everyone was ready to make a decision-whether it was seeking salvation, or repenting of sins, or turning from complacency. The Spirit of God was unavoidable in that room. We were all incredibly humbled. We could hear some of our peers repeating the prayer that our Youth Pastor led them in. They were literally crying out to God for their salvation. Some in the room were praying for each other. The invitation time had gone on a while because people were getting saved or being counseled. One of the guys in the youth group stood up & began singing "Shout to the Lord." It was a precious moment because this guy was not a singer, & bursting out in solo during a service like that was not in his character. It was obviously Spirit led. We all joined in singing. We stayed in that room for what felt like hours-just worshipping & praising God & never wanting to leave that holy moment.

I get teary-eyed & a lump in my throat just thinking about this. To this day, I tell everyone I meet that I had the very best youth group ever. That night was just the jumping off point for growth as a group, as well as individual growth. It gives me so much joy to remember how that one taste of Heaven gave us an insatiable hunger to experience God's presence like that. It doesn't matter who has moved off, or where life has taken us, most of us continue to have a wonderful relationship because of our bond in Christ.

There were so many things about God we all learned from that night & I continue to learn even as I reflect on these moments.
-I learned to come to worship expecting great & mighty things from the Lord.
-I learned to prepare for worship. I should absolutely spend more time preparing my heart to worship than I do preparing my body.
-I learned to ask for, & to allow, the Holy Spirit to lead.
-In our weakness, He is strong. God chose to use a Youth-Led worship service in a room that we also happened to eat our meals in all week, so it smelled of bleach & cleaning supplies. There were glitches in the skit, the worship, it was not a perfect service by any means, but God's Glory shone radiantly bright. God doesn't need fancy services, or a perfect production.
-I learned (later, through talking to my Youth Pastor, now Head Pastor of the that church) that, if God really wants to do something, He really doesn't need us at all. It is our pleasure & blessing that He lets us be a part of it.

I am so thankful for that experience, for that memory, for that life-changing moment that was a glimpse into what our eternity will be like. Until then, I may never hear "Shout to the Lord" without thinking about that smelly cafeteria & turning to an emotional mess.


Shout to the Lord by Darlene Zschech

My Jesus, my Saviour
Lord there is none like You
All of my days I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love
My comfort, my shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You
Shout to the Lord all the Earth, let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name
I sing for joy at the work of Your hand
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have
In You
My Jesus, my Saviour
Lord there is none like You
All of my days I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love
You're my comfort
(My comfort)
And my shelter
(My shelter)
You're my tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You
Shout to the Lord all the Earth, let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name
I sing for joy at the work of Your hand
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have
In You
Oh shout to the Lord all the Earth, let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name
I sing for joy at the work of Your hand
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have
In You


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