Blown Away

I spent the weekend in the presence of about 300 youth, youth workers, Officers and Divisional Leaders.  It was an amazing experience.  One, in fact, that I wasn't quite expecting. Don't get me wrong, Youth Councils has always been exciting and a blessing to me.  However, this year not only did God show up, He showed off, BIG TIME.  I wasn't expecting to be moved by a rave or a rap concert, but I was.  I wasn't expecting friends and Officers to speak words of encouragement straight to my heart, deeply piercing words for extremely at exactly the right moment for exactly the right reason, but they did.  I wasn't expecting my prayers to be so wide reaching and so life changing but they were.  Quite honestly, I went for one purpose,  to fulfill one role, to pray specific prayers, all planned out in advance.  I expected to be encouraged, uplifted, and hopefully get certain answers.  But I totally forgot God doesn't work on my plans, even on the plans of those around me.  He has His own plans, own answers, own methods of doing things.  He surrounded me with people that were listening to Him, speaking for Him, about things I needed to hear.  He also let me minister in His name while at the same time being ministered to myself.  He got past my expectations and totally blew them away.  He got ME to listen to Him.  He got me to pray bigger prayers, encompassing prayers that would fill my heart and mind so much that my earlier expectations seemed puny and pale in comparison.  I can not wait to see what He has in store next!