You guys! I am so excited—this is a guest post done by a friend of mine, Lola Mae! I highly recommend checking out her blog, Lola Mae Writes—she writes about writing, her faith, and her current WIP. Go check it out and subscribe!!
~Willow

Hands raised.

Eyes closed.

Voices singing worship to the Lord. 

Darkness hooded the room except for a few colorful lights. My friends praised God around me. We sang and danced and shouted our hearts out in praise. A feeling of love and joy and belonging flickered in the air. 

We were at winter camp with our church’s youth group. It was the last night there, after an amazing, crazy few days.

And right there, right then, with all of us singing, all of us worshiping, I could feel God. I knew He was in the room.

That night was extraordinary. All of us worshiped the way we wanted, not caring what the others thought, our only wish to praise the LORD. Walls crumbled beneath love and friendship and faith. All of us, crying, hugging, thanking God for each other.

One girl got up and said something into the mic, something that really touched my heart. 

Throughout the songs, the way we worshiped as a group changed. During one song (The Joy) all of us stepped into a twisting, chaotic conga line as we shouted out our praise. In another (Make Room), we swayed together with the lyrics, one body in Christ. Whether it was hugging each other as we cried and whispered the words, or jumping up and down as we shouted the lyrics, we praised God together. 

God was there, I could feel Him. And when I talked to my friends afterwards, they told me that they felt His presence strongly too. 

And later, after worship, we walked down to a bonfire (in our small groups, one at a time) and prayed. Watching the fire, hands linked, in a circle. We spoke to God. Out loud. Together.

And it truly felt like I was talking to God. I felt that connection, that beautiful feeling that God was right there, standing in the space beside me. 

I still remember the prayers of the girls around me. Maybe not word-for-word, maybe not exactly what they said, but I remember the feeling of listening to others talk to God, and then talking to Him myself.

I remember feeling heard. I remember feeling wanted. I remember feeling like I belonged, right there, with those girls, in God’s hands. 

I talked to God, and I could feel Him there. He was in the room, right beside me. He was holding all of us in His arms that night.

He still is. He’s still beside me, still holding me, still loving and still listening.

And he’s beside YOU, holding YOU, loving and listening to YOU. 

Isn’t that incredible? 

Sometimes it feels like you can only be with God at a certain time: at church, at youth group, at camp, by your bed. Sometimes you get distracted by other things, chasing the wishes and wants of the world instead of chasing the Lord’s will. Sometimes it feels like you can’t ever find that feeling of true connection with God again.

But I want you to know:

That’s a lie.

You can always find God. You can always be connected with Him. You can always feel Him, if you’re seeking Him. 

And God wants you. He WANTS to hold you, WANTS to speak to you, WANTS to hear your cries.

God sticks with you, through the ups and downs of life. He’s always there, and he’ll never leave. 

I want to encourage you today that regardless of where you are, what you’re going through, or what’s happened in your past, you can find God. You don’t have to be at a camp or singing your heart out. (although those things can be incredibly powerful) You can be anywhere in the world, at any time, with anyone, with any past and any struggle. And God will find you. 

Because He is always in the room, right there beside you, holding you tight.