The Most Beautiful Place...

Yesterday two of my dear friends and I went to Blowing Rock, NC for a "Moms Day Out." It was a rainy, yucky day but we had a wonderful time shopping, eating, and laughing! (The laughing almost never ended!) The best part of the day, for me, was our visit to the Prayer Garden next to an adorable little shop called, Take Heart. 

As walked toward the garden I felt my heart swell up. All of the little white tags hanging from the trees are prayers! There are thousands of them! Right here, in the middle of a quaint little town, is proof that God's children are crying out to Him. I can assure you He is there, hearing each one of those prayers and all the others that weren't written. His Presence can be felt so fully. There is a breath-taking heaviness in that garden. It was a very emotional experience for me. It is honestly one of the most beautiful places I have ever experienced. Not because of the aesthetics necessarily, but because of the atmosphere. 

We visited the Prayer Garden again before we left Blowing Rock. We each wrote a prayer to hang alongside the others. It was a sweet moment. Our entire day was filled with laughter except for the two times we were in the Prayer Garden. Both times, I was so filled with emotion and awe. Tears streamed down my face, not because I was sad, but because I was overwhelmed. 

Psalm 116:1-2 (TPT) says, "I am passionately in love with God because He listens to me. He hears my prayers and answers them. As long as I live I'll keep praying to Him, for He stoops down to listen to my heart's cry."

That's what's happening here. God is stooping down. His presence can be felt and it is absolutely overwhelming in the most wonderful way. Today I am grateful to have visited the Prayer Garden and experienced it with sweet friends. I eagerly await the opportunity to visit this special place again.