On Thursday MIYA had a wonderful opportunity to join in on the experience of the Upper Room. The Upper Room, if you are not familiar, is a group of young adults from around the area that join together for a time of praise, worship, adoration, intercessory and open prayers once a month. I encourage you to join next month for it was an experience that not only rekindled my love of Jesus, but also allowed for my heart to be open to what God wants for me and those that attended.
We began with the Blessed Sacrament being exposed for all to see. It was an amazing scene as we all knelt before Jesus to begin our journey with him. As we began to take in the wonderful experience, we joined together in beautiful song of praise and adoration and internal prayer preparing our hearts for Jesus.
As we continued our journey with Jesus, an amazing moment happened when we were allowed to be silent and be with Jesus in the moment. As we were in silence, it gave each and every one of us the time to slow down and mediate on the true awesomeness of this moment. A moment of being in the presence of Jesus and feeling his love for each and every one of us. The moment where we could lay down our struggles at the foot of the cross and truly listen to what God is saying to us.
As we were moved by the spirit, many of us opened our hearts to Jesus and allowed him to move us through open prayer. The prayers of those present were beautiful. They were prayers of thankgiving and praise for what has been put into their lives. A thankfulness for struggles and the gratefulness for the joy that has reached their heart were touching. Father Michael spoke a wonderful verse from Philipians 4 that really stuck with me as a particpant.
"4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
I personally was moved to my knees several times and eventually brought to quiet tears. Tears streamed down because I truely felt connected with God and that He was listening to me. I was overwhelmed with the moment when my heart was on fire and in being in the moment with Jesus. The room, although filled with furniture, people, sounds of the air condition, singing, guitar and mumbles of prayers from those around me suddenly fell slient. It was Jesus, me and His love. What an amzing feeling! Nothing mattered. I laid down my sorrows and concerns and thankfulness at the foot of the cross. In that moment of connection with Jesus, I knew that there was a plan for me. I lifted up my heart and shared with Jesus that I will trust with patience what he is doing in my life and the life of my family and also for what he has to come in my life and those around me.
As we closed the night, I felt a sense of calmness and relief as I had just spent two hours with Jesus and was able to have a dialouge in my heart with Him. I was encouraged to have faith and trust and to know that I am where I need to be right now. For many young adults, we often wonder about the paths and where they are supposed to take us. I hope that this post has given you some sort of encouragement to believe that there is a reason for everything and I pray that we continue to trust in the paths that are sent forth for us even at the most difficult of times. .
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