The God of the Backpack

Recently I was interviewing a young adult about her faith in Christ. She was sharing how her family went through some difficult times when she was younger. During those times she wandered from the faith of her childhood and felt like God was far too away to help. When a friend who had recently become a Christian invited her to return to church, she accepted the invitation. At first, it was difficult for her to feel close to God because of all the negative experiences in her life. At one point she was arguing with God over all the things that had happened in her life. During the argument she told God that He could not handle her problems. Suddenly she had a vision (yes, just like they had in the Bible!) of all her problems being in a huge backpack that was weighing her down. In the vision, she saw a giant hand reaching down and lifting her problems off her back. She realized it was the hand of God lifting her problems from her back. She was overcome with a sense of freedom as her burdens disappeared. My friend realized that God was big enough to handle her problems. Over the past two years she has re-engaged in her faith in a very powerful way. When I hear true stories like this one from a young adult, it reminds me that God is still active and working in the lives of the next generation. Our culture may be in decline and churches may be aging, but God is not discouraged. He has chosen the next generation to proclaim His mighty works and churches that recognize this will see His hand on a regular basis.