I am a Christian. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He was the inspiration for the Holy Bible. I first asked Christ into my heart when I was 7 years old. For many years, faith guided my life. I learned to trust God first in small things, and then in greater things as the years passed. Like so many people, I was not a perfect Christian, and I had to learn to listen for what God had for me. Still, I can look back and see that His prompting guided me many times in ways only He could.
The most significant event that changed my faith from something that guided my life into a true personal relationship with God happened when I was 26 years old, at the birth of our third child, Bethany, our only daughter. Bethany had less than a 5% chance of surviving. In the middle of that crisis, God gave me four words that changed my life: “You will be ok.” Those four words did not mean that every burden would disappear or that life would always be easy. They meant that God would be with me through whatever I faced. For the first time, I began to understand the difference between having faith that guides your life and having a personal relationship with a God who is present with you in the middle of your greatest need. That experience became the beginning of a journey that continues to this day. Through different trials and circumstances, I have learned that God’s promises are trustworthy, His peace is real, and His presence is available even when we cannot see a way forward.
This testimony is shared to encourage anyone who may be searching for strength, peace, comfort, healing, or a closer relationship with God. My story is told in three parts. Each part explores a different aspect of what I have learned through my relationship with God and may speak to something you are experiencing in your own life.
Part 1 — Understanding the Promise of God in Your Life
God’s promises give us something to hold on to when circumstances are uncertain. This section explores the importance of understanding God’s promises and learning to trust what He has said, even when we cannot yet see the outcome.
Part 1: Understanding the Promise of God in Your Life
Part 2 — Discovering the Peace of God in Your Life
God’s peace is not simply the absence of trouble. It is the peace that can exist in the middle of circumstances we cannot control. This section shares how I discovered that peace and what it has meant in my relationship with God.
Part 2: Discovering the Peace of God in Your Life
Part 3 — God Promises Peace, but Life Is Still a Journey
Finding God’s peace does not mean that we will never face another crisis or need God’s help again. Life is still a journey, and there may be times when we need another rescue, another prayer, and another reminder of God’s presence. This section explores what I have learned about continuing to trust God when new challenges come.
Part 3: God Promises Peace, but Life Is Still a Journey
A Place to Begin
If you feel God calling you to draw closer to Him, I invite you to begin with the prayer below. Let it be a starting place for strength, peace, comfort, healing, and a renewed relationship with Jesus Christ. You do not have to have everything figured out before you come to God. You can begin exactly where you are.
The Prayer
If you feel that God is dealing with your heart, you can use the prayer below to establish a relationship with Him today. Read the prayer out loud from your heart and then develop a daily routine that includes God. Pray and read your Bible regularly and you will be amazed at what God can do. Trust Him completely with small things and you will see His hand in your life. You will be encouraged by the results that you see and can build on that trust for every area of your life. Remember, God brings hope to hopeless situations, strength where there is weakness, peace where there is turmoil, comfort where there is pain, and encouragement when the blues have you down. Trust in Him and he won’t let you down.
Dear Jesus,
I know that I need to know you more. I know that you are God’s son and that you died for my sins. I am sorry for my sins and ask you to come into my heart and life. I commit my life to you and will do my best to serve you with all my heart.