Few things compare to hearing from God and this past weekend break in Fermanagh could not have come at a better time. We had a few talks and discussions about the Holy Spirit, and did some exercises (borrowed from YWAM) to let us step out in faith and explore some spiritual gifts, in particular getting words or pictures for each other from God. I don’t claim to be a very spiritual person at all, and I don’t often find myself getting words or pictures for other people. Like many people, I approached this weekend with a certain amount of uncertainty and insecurity.

One exercise we did was being in pairs and praying, asking God for a picture for the other person. First time I did this I found it hard to get past the fear of “what if I’m the only person who doesn’t get anything,” and didn’t feel I got anything that came from God. Second time I did it I got a picture in my mind that wouldn’t go away, and I tried hard to make it go away because I was convinced at first that it couldn’t be from God. I shared it with the other person and they ended up in tears telling me it was very encouraging for them and was just like what other people had shared for them…which was sigificant given that I thought this picture was too strange to be from God! They then shared a picture God had given them for me and it really spoke into where I am in life, which is amazing when it comes from someone who wouldn’t really know where I am at in life. We did another exercise later on where we were in pairs, but back to back and with eyes closed so you couldn’t see who you were paired with. The girl who I was paired with gave me a picture which was so helpful, it’s shaping my prayer life this week.

When God gives you words which speak right into the situations you are facing at that moment, you realise that God wants to be a part of and help you with every situation in your life. The Holy Spirit isn’t this mystical thing that gets you into heaven, but a comforter and counsellor for everything life throws at you.

Late on Saturday night, me and some friends went for a walk in the pitch darkness through a forest and down to the lakeside. The wind and rain from earlier in the day were long gone, and the lake was perfectly still. When you live in a city you forget what a sky full of stars looks like, but now the sky seemed to have more stars than I’ve ever seen, and the milky way streaked across the sky. And because the lake was so still you could see the moon and the stars reflected in it. We kinda just stood there…noone wanting to leave…just enjoying the moment, realising that it was one of the those moments you couldn’t capture, and can’t really describe to people afterwards in a way that does it justice.

In the end I only got one photo in the course of the whole weekend that I liked, but that didn’t seem as important as usual.