God is With You

God is With You

By Dennis Culpepper III, Class of 2014

Raleigh, North Carolina

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

            God has been with me and protected me through many trials. He was there when I was scared, lonely, and even lost.

            When I was twelve years old, I went to Pilot Mountain with my Pathfinder group. We were going on our traditional backpacking trip. My friend Joel and I were getting irritated with the girls having to stop every fifteen minutes, so we thought that we could just keep going and not stop. As twelve year olds, we, of course, were experts -- and were very stubborn. 

            Our leaders had told us to stay on the white trail.  We could clearly see the white dots sprayed onto the trees so hikers could identify the trail and we confidently got ahead of the group.

            We eventually realized that we had gotten too far ahead of the group.  We couldn’t hear or see anyone else.  We didn’t even see any white dots on the trees.  We had apparently missed a fork in the trail and now were completely lost.

            Instantly, we knew we needed to pray, so we knelt and asked God for help.  We prayed that God would bring us comfort and for someone to find us.

            After the prayer, we had the feeling that we needed to turn around and re-trace our steps. Within twenty yards of back-tracking on the path, we saw one of our leaders looking for us. I was so happy! God truly answers prayers!

            If you are ever feeling under pressure, or nervous, or scared, remember God is with you. Turn to God and pray.  Have faith that He will comfort you and give you courage!