The Well Ministries

The gals from my home church were planning a retreat about two weeks after this and some of them had been trying to get me to go, especially Marcia. I had continually refused since I hadn’t been to my church but a few times in the previous 6 months and could hardly stand being with some of them for and hour let alone a whole weekend. A few ladies persisted in trying to get me to go but I consistently refused and wasn’t going to budge. I surely hadn’t been in the mood for anything too spiritual. And since there was only room for 40 woman to attend I figured I was safe.

The week before the retreat was to be held I was doing some cleaning around the house. I was sorting through some old unopened mail and found some newsletters from a few sources that I hadn’t read yet. I opened a few of them trying to decide whether I wanted to keep them or toss them. Needless-to-say, God has perfect timing and they were just what I needed at the moment.

As I continued reading, I started feeling a little tug in my heart; and before I was done, I knew, without a doubt, that I definitely had to be at that retreat. I had never felt anything so strong in my whole life.

I was kind of scared and kind of excited too, however, I knew that I could’t stand being with anyone too spiritual, especially since I hadn’t spent much time in church lately. Later that evening, I told Marcia that I felt like the Prodigal Child wanting to come home, standing at the bottom of the driveway while Father was at the top waiting with His arms open and I was too ashamed to run up to Him. How could I have gone so far away in such a short time? She told me that I just needed to do it!

I called the pastor’s wife again to find out this time that there was still room for me to attend.

As the retreat approached I felt that there was just something in store for me and I did not have the slightest idea how much it would change my life.

When we arrived at the retreat center there was a “buzz” of excitement and expectation like I had already been experiencing myself. Through the course of the weekend the things that were said, the things I read, the things I saw and heard was just like God spoke to me over and over and told me all the things I had asked for over the last two years. It was like I finally felt the earth shake and God was speaking to me! It was that physical proof that I so desperately needed.

I remember Marcia speaking to me that Saturday morning. I had told her that I had run really far from the Lord and how I didn’t think I could ever get back. She reminded me of Psalm 139:7-8, which says,

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.”

She emphasized that even if I made my bed in the depths He would be with me. She told me to underline “Where can I go from your Spirit?” and write in my Bible . . . “NO WHERE!” God had been with me even when I wasn’t with Him.

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