By: Hallie Brunegraff, student intern, Harding University
My most recent opportunity for solo prayer time was full of enlightenment. I went to a small neighborhood park close to the house and found a quiet spot off the trail to be completely alone with God. It was the perfect place to just sit and feel the cool breeze and the warm air. In that quiet moment I could truly feel the presence of God, and it really made me feel at peace with myself even with everything that has been going on since arriving in the city. It was once I found this peace that I could truly talk to God and just ask him for the things I need. In the beginning stages of the process of trying to reach out to this neighborhood in South Bronx, I was struggling with figuring out what in the world we could do to serve this community. I kept praying that God give me the confidence and the creativity to come up with ways to reach out to people. As I continued in my time of prayer, I decided to listen to my Christian station on Pandora and I heard a song, called “Lead Me” by Sanctus Real, that really struck me. The song is basically a prayer, asking God for help in being a leader. The part that truly hit home for me says, “So Father, give me the strength to be everything I am called to be, Oh, Father show me the way to lead them…” That moment I heard this was a major eye opener for me and showed me what I was truly praying for. I want to be a light to this community and to help show them the good news of Jesus in a way that maybe they haven’t experienced before. Even with this revelation, the question still remained, “How do I do this?” Almost immediately after hearing that first song, I heard another song, “Let It Go” by Tenth Avenue North, that gave me just that answer. The song says, “You say let it go, you say life is waiting for the ones who lose control, You say you will be everything I need, You say if I lose my life it’s then I’ll find my soul, You say let it go.” It was in that moment that I realized that if I give all of my worries, questions, and ambitions to God, He will take care of them. He will show me what I need to do and provide the opportunities I will need to reach out. Sure enough, once I gave it to Him and quit worrying about it, the ideas started flowing effortlessly. I cannot wait to see how we can put some of these ideas into practice and really make a difference in people’s lives in the neighborhood.
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