Wow, it’s been a long two weeks. My three most recent posts are Sunday Encouragement Posts and if I’m being honest, while I have several drafts ready for me to complete, my brain has not had the effort to actually complete them.

With all that’s been happening, I’ve had a hard time actually finding the time, energy, and words to encourage people. And I found myself in this position a couple weeks ago.

On Wednesday the 9th, I was given the opportunity to share some words at my youth group. It was a unique night because it was girls night, and I was doing what we call ‘the ministry moment.’ A few minutes of me sharing some words of encouragement after the first song, leading us into the next moment of reverent, quiet worship.

But the day before, I had received some hard news. A friend and coworker had passed away. Her death was unexpected and as I was confused about all that God was doing in these moments, I thought to myself:

I feel like a fraud.

How am I expected to encourage these girls while I myself am in the midst of my own grief and confusion?

That Wednesday morning, one of my small group leaders texted me these words: Know that you don’t have to be happy to encourage others. Speaking truth is often encouraging, even if it means admitting you’re in a tough place.

Then, one of my best friends (read her Substack) said: You always talk about that Psalm you read before every shift at work…this verse is literally for you.

So I decided that for the ministry moment, I would be reading this Psalm:

‘Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.You will increase my honor and comfort me once more.’
Psalms 71:20-21 NIV

As the first song started, I ran to the bathroom and sat in a stall hands covering my face. “Lord, I don’t know what I’m doing. Please work through me. I feel so lost, God.”

I walked to the room and in the moments before I got onstage, I stood there holding my Bible in my left hand and the mic in my right and watched the girls worshiping beside me. One of my friends, Karrigan, who is in seventh grade I believe, looked to the side where I was and her jaw dropped. Eagerly, she nudged all the arms of her friends around her and mouthed, “WILLOW.”

That in itself provided the encouragement and the boost I needed to get onstage. So I walked up there and then spoke the truths that I knew even in my hard place.

“I’m so excited to worship, pray and share with you guys what’s been on my heart lately. We’re coming from a song that says, “I thank God,” and in full honesty, I haven’t felt like thanking God this week. It’s been a lot of receiving hard news and relationship dynamics that are hard and lots of schoolwork that I do not want to do. But I was reading Scripture yesterday and this verse that I read every single day just stood out to me. It says, “Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.You will increase my honor and comfort me once more.“

As we go into this next song, I really want to invite you to sit and listen to the lyrics—they talk about resting in the Spirit and letting the Spirit rest on us. And when we rest in the Spirit, we truly find this comfort and peace that is indescribable. And even after weeks like this—maybe this week has been like that for you, maybe you’ve had amazing things to praise God for—whether that is true or not, I really encourage you guys: sit in the presence of God. Let His presence rest on you, find His comfort, His peace, and I truly believe that your lives will be changed tonight.

So, with that in mind, I invite you to step out of your comfort zone. Maybe that means lying down, or praying over someone, sitting or raising your hands. But whatever that may be, I want for us tonight to ask the Lord to rest with us and for us to rest in His goodness.”

It was funny because I only knew the two songs I would come onstage after and then the one I would be leading us into: I Thank God and then Rest On Us. What I didn’t know was the last song would be Nothing Else.

I sat in the back during those last two songs and really just…sat there. Kind of zoned out to the scene around me and prayed. And when I finally came back and processed the lyrics, I heard: I’m caught up in your presence, I just want to sit here at Your feet.

The whole night was truly orchestrated by God. And you might be wondering: why is this so long? Where is the encouragement?

I walked into the youth center, feeling like a fraud, completely and totally unqualified. But when I let the Lord work through me and the hands of those around me, I was reminded: none of this is dependent on you.

When we surrender and truly let the Lord work, He will work.

I’m constantly reminded by my friend and leader Lorien: This is so much bigger than you. This is about what God is doing through you and the works He is going to do.

We are mere humans but the Lord is our powerful God.

‘For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.’
1 Corinthians 3:4-7 NIV

So this week: I am challenging all of us (myself included) to surrender and let God move. Maybe ‘move’ means pushing you to text someone: How are you? Maybe ‘move’ means talking to that new kid at school. Maybe ‘move’ means prompting you to giving up that addiction or struggle.

The Lord moves, friends. He does it in mysterious, amazing ways, but He moves.

Thanks for reading, for your patience, and I’m praying for you all this week.
~Willow