Testimony from a Fellowship Band that meets in the North of England
We have a weekly meeting in our diary but with one of us being in the police force, another working in the education sector and the third being a stay at home mum to a 1 year old sometimes we have to miss meetings for reasons beyond our control. We always ask the others if it is ok for us to miss a connection and when we do we make sure it is a priority next week.
Recently there were a number of reasons why we all could have done with a night off but given we missed the previous meeting we wanted to touch base. Before we connected we agreed to share just one time this week where we had seen God and thought ‘Oh wow’.
The first lady shared … she talked about an experience she’d had of meeting with God in his amazing creation. She was telling the other ladies about a walk she had been on where she saw a valley full of Rowan trees.
At this time of the year they are beautiful with green leaves and bright red berries. The whole valley and hillside was full of them, and the branches were bending because there were so many berries on them! It really was an amazing sight. Rowan trees are special for her because they remind her of someone she loves but who has died. It felt like God was saying ‘They are here with me living their best life and I can remind you of that even when you’re miles away from home not expecting it.’ It was encouraging to share with those in her band about God speaking in unexpected ways through his creation.
The second lady in the band shared about an experience she had recently while away on holiday. She had gone on a walk with her family along a coastal path and they sat on a cliff top to watch the sun going down.
As the sky turned spectacular shades of yellow orange and red she felt God saying to her ‘I’ve got you. I know where you are and I’ve got you’. She was blown away by the sense of peace and calm she felt and by the overwhelming love she felt. It was like God was reminding her she is still in the palm of his hand even on the other side of the country from where she normally is.
After the first two ladies had shared, the third lady said ‘That’s funny…I felt prompted to go out the other day to Harlow Carr [a specially designed garden reflecting the Yorkshire landscape], so I drove over there to have my lunch and go for a wander’.
She shared how, as she was driving, she felt she gained headspace and was able to chat with God. As she made her way around the garden she had a sense of God saying to her ‘Look how far you have come’. The last few years have been full-on and physically, emotionally and spiritually draining for her but in that moment she felt God was encouraging her for having got this far.
As a band we were amazed that God had spoken to all of us out in creation, away from our normal routines, outside of our usual places of visiting. We reflected together on how amazing God is to be able to hold the whole world in his hands but also to know that that specific lunchtime, at sunset with the family and on an afternoon walk we all needed a little nudge of encouragement.
I have smiled as I have prayed for the ladies in my band this week I have thanked God for the similarity of where we saw him but also the uniqueness of our stories. I have thanked God that he is a God of wonders and creativity. I have asked him to continue to reveal himself to us and draw us closer to him. I’m looking forward to connecting with my band again this week to see what God has done…because once you start to spot where he is you see him EVERYWHERE!
If you have a story of how meeting in Fellowship Band has encouraged or challenged you we would love to hear from you. Remember, ‘what is said in band, stays in band’, so please ask permission before sharing any details, and we don’t have to use your name.
