…as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!” (1 Cor. 14:25)
My best friend wasn’t a Christian until last year. She ascribed to a vague notion of God as a higher power, but didn’t have a real relationship with him. When she finally attended a church online during the pandemic, the experience was negative.
I spoke honestly with her, urging her to try another church, letting her know that not all churches were like the one she had selected. Within a few weeks, another nearby church opened for in-person services, and she decided to try it.
I prayed for the power of the Holy Spirit to go with her as she entered the building. As the Spirit would have it, she left church that day a changed woman. In the weeks after, I was delightfully shocked to hear her professing a belief in Jesus as “the only way to heaven” and gushing about how excited she was to get a study Bible, listen to worship music, and join a small group.
My diligent prayers and trust that the Lord would change her life were answered. Watching it happen was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen. First Corinthians 14:25 proclaims: “…as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!’” This is exactly what happened here.
Know that only God, in his perfect timing, can change hearts.
Ericka Andersen Sylvester is a member of Waterline Church in Fishers (IN). She’s a wife and mom to two and enjoys writing, running, and podcasting.
© 2022 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
