Not only is He willing to forgive anyone who come to Him that ask for His mercy, but He also is willing to guide us in our walk in this life.
I had not appreciated the power of prayer, which brings so much peace, and joy, and incomprehensible feeling...of love, anointed power, courage, freedom that are everlasting and eternal, until recently.
I remember the first time I had prayed...it was back when I was growing up at a Catholic school, where the nuns had taught students to memorize different prayers. A priest would often assign these prayers to a person to repeat several times given as penalty for their sins after they made a confession.
It's amazing to see myself now compare to when I was 10 years old. It really brings back a lot of memory...the school...the teachers...my friends...I guess I was being a kid...where I follow directions and obey what my mother or teachers told me to do.
As I grow older, and turned into my Junior High School year, things began to change...I have more authority to make decision...it's not that I am asking for more authority, but it seems that I became more aware of myself and the decision that I had to make and its consequences. In other words, I became more independent to my choices and life.
I was 12, when I entered Junior High. I wasn't familiar at all with anything other than my Catholic upbringing. And even the experience that I had wasn't too enticing either. I guess, it was hard to follow the rules that were set as I remember. But, in my heart, there's a longing to meet and show my heart to a Maker, a Creator, a Savior, a God.
I always express my desire to go to church, but I ended up staying at home watching Sunday morning cartoon or practicing martial arts. None of my family members were interested in going to the church, let alone to bring me with them. So, I guess I was left to my ownself to explore this journey of faith.
All those years going to a Catholic School, I learned the concept of "sin". I had a theory, this theory may also be passed down by one of the nuns or my fellow students. Whenever I took communion, I always checked if the holy bread would stick on the upper part / ceiling of my mouth. If I had sinned a lot, the bread would stick there, but if I was forgiven, it would not stick.
The story of Jesus would meant a sad, a happy, and interesting stories, where I was amazed by all the miracles that had happened, and it could probably qualify for the best cartoon show ever. And I would come to the Christmas or Easter show, for just the show. But, of course I couldn't blame anyone, since I was a kid and it probably is normal to think that way :)
Many years had passed by. My next encounter with God in prayer after a long absence was when I heard that voice that were calling me back to go back to church. What a dear and loving voice that draws me back.
To bring the story closer to up to date...yesterday praying meeting was remarkable. I was amazed and overwhelmed by God's presence. He always present when two or three are gathered in His Name...He manifests Himself and reveals Himself when we seek Him...
I felt I was sitting down with the rest of the prayer team enjoying His communion at the Last Supper.
to be cont..
