Comforter, Counselor Keeper…

With tomorrow being Easter and a celebration of all that Jesus gave up for me, I thought I would share my testimony today. I used a line from one of my favorite songs to start the post (I’ll put the full song at the end).

Sometimes I wish I had a more dramatic testimony but then, more often than not, I realize how blessed I am to have had Christ with me for most of my life.

When I was growing up, my dad was a pastor so I have been in the church since I was very little. My parents moved to New Mexico to pastor their first church when I was five or six. I accepted Christ into my life when I was at a kids church camp when I was in the third grade.

I never really knew what it was like to not know that there was a God. Now, most people who know PKs (preacher’s kids) also know that when they leave home, they sometimes tend to go off the deep end. That was NOT me. I went to a Christian college for a year and then moved up to a state college after that. I took a break from church but that only lasted a few months before I was drawn back in.

God really revealed himself to me that first year in college. I was away from home and everything I knew. I was learning who I was and making friendships that will last my whole life. The school was very small and even if we didn’t know names, we recognized people. During that year, four people from school were coming back during a snow storm and were hit. Three of them died instantly and the fourth girl, one I knew from the dorm we lived in, was in critical condition and they did not expect her to come out of the coma she was in.

With the whole school praying for her recovery, God became very real and very present to me. He worked a miracle on Wendi’s life and revealed Himself to me in a way I had not yet seen Him.

That was almost 20 years ago and today, I am thankful for a God who lives with me every day. I know there are times when I struggle with whether or not I am fulfilling His plan completely for my life but I always know He is with me.

As promised, here are the lyrics to “Wonderful, Merciful Savior.” It is a beautiful song. If you have not heard it (or have not heard it in a while), I recommend looking it up and giving it a listen.

Wonderful, Merciful Savior. Precious Redeemer and Friend, who would have thought that a lamb could rescue the souls of men. Oh, you rescue the souls of men.

Counselor, Comforter, Keeper. Spirit we long to embrace. You offer hope when our hearts have hopelessly lost the way. Oh, we hopelessly lost the way.

You are the One that we praise. You are the One we adore. You give the healing and grace our hearts always hunger for. Oh, our hearts always hunger for.

Almighty Infinite Father, Faithfully loving your own. Here in our weakness you find us falling before your throne. Oh, we’re falling before your throne.

(written by Dawn Rogers and Eric Wyse)