This is not my first time to hear about Encounter God
Retreat or EGR. I’ve heard it many times and I have an idea what it is about. I
actually attended one EGR but I only attended few sessions and wasn’t really
interested about it. I know it is good and the experience will be awesome. I
will be talking about my experience last July 24-26, 2015.
I was
very excited about the thought of encountering God and going on a retreat. My
year has been a tough ride for me, I’ve been through a lot of painful
situations for almost a year and I feel like giving up. Despite the fact that I
go to church every Sunday or attend youth service during Saturdays and I even
devote myself in attending “lifegroups”, I feel every ounce of pain every single
day. I feel so drained in all aspects of my life and I am in the point of my
life that I just want to give up and I even prayed to God to just get my life,
to just let me die. Have you ever felt that?
There’s
this one experience that when I went home from a friend’s house and as I seat
on my bed I cried, not knowing the reason why, I just wept. It’s the hardest
thing for me, not knowing the reason why you’re sad or why you feel so empty
after a very good day. As what I usually do when I feel sad, I just let gospel
songs play and deep in my heart I am crying out to the Lord “Lord, what is this
that I am feeling, why am I so sad and why am I crying”. I heard this still
small voice. “You need ME(GOD)”. I then questioned God, “Lord I’ve known you
since I was a child, I know that I have you.” Then He whispered, “You need ME.”
Then I cry out to Him and decided to give my all to Him.
The
struggle didn’t end there, there’s this one thing I hardly surrender to the
Lord, I am afraid, I don’t know what to do, all I know is I am letting God take
control but I am also trying to get the wheel from the Lord. Then I was invited
by my “lifegroup” leader to attend EGR. I know I need this, I know through this
I will learn more of Him. So I did, but hindrances came. I am hesitant to go
there alone, I am hesitant because I am thinking of what other people me think
about me when I go there. Deep in my heart I know God is telling me to go and
trust Him. I even had a thought that after this everything will be fine,
breakthroughs are coming. So, with God’s help I overcome myself and my fears
and dragged my feet to the church.
The
first night was fun and I learned a lot of things already, though for me some
of the teachings for the first day were quite familiar already or my mind is
telling me that I already know such teachings. I pray to the Lord and ask Him
to get rid of that mentality in me. Second day, I learned and I was reminded of
God’s love, God’s sacrifice for me and the things that He can do in my life.
Third day is how I can live out those promises and love that Jesus Christ
prepared for me and I then received His gift, the Holy Spirit. I am so glad
with that experience and I am just so overwhelmed with what the Lord let me
experience and what He gave me, His words and also his great gift and love.
I am
indeed blessed. I can’t even explain the real feeling that I had. It was all
worth it and I do hope and pray that every day I will be reminded of the things
I’ve learned and I know that this will be a great start and this is the start
of everything. I am now new, renewed and born again by my Lord and savior Jesus
Christ. This is my spiritual birthday and I have decided to follow God after
this Encounter with Him, this is a very new and unique experience for me
despite the fact that I was born in a Christian family and I even grew up in
the church and been surrounded by church workers, but this one is very unique
and very overwhelming experience for me. To GOD be all the Glory! He is good!
He is Almighty and He is the only one true GOD!
