“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”
-- 1 John 5:14
Tanner paused, and then prayed for Keir, “God, reveal
yourself to Keir, prove to him that Jesus is real.”
Even though 17 year old Keir was not a Christian, he enjoyed
hanging out with our team and showing us around Dunoon, a quaint seaside
Scottish town just an hour and half west of Glasgow. Many youth in the
town come from broken homes and have turned to drugs and alcohol. In
fact, the pastor we worked with said he knew of less than five or six Christian
teenagers in the entire town of 8,500 residents. We knew God had led us
to Dunoon for a reason.
Tanner Blake, a staff discipler on our team, took an interest in
reaching out to Keir. So, he invited him to join his small group of guys
discussing the Bible. Kier said, “Sure!” He even rearranged his schedule (which
meant getting up before noon) to come back each day to meet and talk about the
Bible.
Over the course of a few days, Tanner’s friendship with Keir
grew and they started having deeper conversations. Tanner learned that Keir was
heavy into hardcore drugs and alcohol. Keir admitted, “I am not happy
with the way I am living.” Tanner understood. He was able to relate
with Keir because he had also went through some of the same exact struggles
before he knew the Lord.
Tanner explained, “No matter how good the drug is or how
cool the alcohol makes you feel, there is nothing greater than experiencing
God’s love!” Tanner, sensing the presence of the Holy Spirit asked
Kier, “Can I pray with you and ask God to reveal His love to you?” Keir
nodded his head in agreement.
After praying, Keir seemed a little “out of it,” so Tanner asked
him, “Are you okay?” And Keir replied in hesitant amazement, “I lost my
legs, I feel something is here!”
In excitement Tanner said to Keir, “Dude, that is the
Holy Spirit!” They both began to weep and praise the Lord! Right
before their eyes, God answered Tanners prayer and revealed Himself to Kier.
The Lord proved to Keir that He is real, and still working in the world.
Tanner then asked Keir, “Do you want to accept Christ into your
life.” After a very vigorous head nod, Keir prayed to receive Christ
and is now walking with the Lord!
What this unforgettable experience revealed to our team is that prayer
is undeniably the most powerful blessing that the Lord has given us. It
is what gives us confidence in our God when we ask anything according to his
will—we know that He hears us! (1 John 5:14)
For Tanner and our team, saying goodbye to Keir and other
friends left behind in Dunoon was very difficult. We know that there are so few
believers to encourage them. His heart, along with ours is burdened to continue
to pray for the youth of Dunoon and those we met in Glasgow. Especially for the
few teenage believers like Keir to remain strong in the faith.
This work does not happen without you! Please pray for the Holy
Spirit to continue to be at work, revealing himself to the students we are
working with. If God is not in this we are ineffective. And if we are not
sent, they are not reached. More than ever, the need of your prayer is
undeniable!
-- 1 John 5:14
