Ever since I was little I was raised in a very religious family who believes in God. Growing up, I still heavily believed in him. But as my teenage years approached I started to feel a drift between our relationship and as this took place I noticed my faith beginning to wither away.

As the days passed I found myself questioning if he was even real. Sure I wanted to believe he was real, and if there were a God he would be the only one I’d believe in. I was experiencing the struggle more frequently and it made me feel guilty and lost. However, I heard that there was going to be a throne room service at the Salt Church in Corry, so my friend Allison and I decided to attend it.

The worship music started playing and it made me feel a way that I can’t quite explain. The atmosphere just felt intense and free. It was a really good feeling– it felt as if all my struggles could just melt away. As we gradually became more comfortable, we decided to go out of the pews and lay on the ground while worshiping Jesus. As I was praying, I remember repeating in my head “Jesus, if you are real, please tell me, or give me a sign; I really need to hear it.”

I prayed for that throughout the whole worship, and as time went by I thought he wasn’t going to. However, at the very end of the service the youth pastor came up to us. At first, we were confused, but then he told us that God told him to tell us that Jesus loves us and is very proud of us and that he has something special planned for our future, but we need to dedicate our lives to him and allow him to show himself.

Allison and I started crying out of elation. Although I don’t exactly know why she cried, I cried because the feeling of happiness was extremely overwhelming. After all, I felt like I had a purpose to follow the Lord now and that he was real and truly loved me.

After this experience, I know that the Lord is real and that he loves every single person in the world, including you!