When I was in sixth grade, I had an experience that has influenced me every day of my life since. I was at camp up at Forest Home in the local mountains, and I had a counselor who encouraged me to pursue more of God. It was a tough season in my life and one night, the two of us were praying together. I was sitting on a boulder by the forest nearby, and as I entered more deeply into a time of prayer, something happened. Though my physical body didn’t go anywhere, I had an amazing experience where I felt like I was surrounded by light, and it seemed as if I was transported to a Heavenly realm. Later I summed it up by saying that it was as if Jesus was giving me a hug. Amazingly, though to me it seemed like only a few minutes, I woke up to my counselor shaking me because I had been in prayer for three or four hours! This was a very real experience (though I’m sometimes reluctant to share it for fear that it doesn’t seem credible), and getting just a glimpse of the light and power of the Lord in that moment made an indelible imprint that has fueled my faith through many trying times since. 

Friend, my point in sharing this story is to convince you that Jesus wants to reveal Himself to you. Though it may not always be this dramatic, encountering facets of Heaven on earth is possible when you intentionally spend time in His presence. As you regularly enter into prayer and worship, you invite more of the Holy Spirit’s power into your midst, and you may just get a glimpse of His supernatural glory. When this happens, it fuels your faith and feeds your Spirit, which helps you to remember His constant work in your life, even when circumstances are hard and you are being tested. If you have the chance to touch Heaven from where you stand on earth, it may just forever change your life and the lives of those around you!