A Pilgrimage to Asbury

Krista and I spent some wonderful years in Wilmore, Kentucky while I attended Asbury Seminary. We made some wonderful friends along the way and always look forward to spending time with our friends when we return to Wilmore. In our time at Asbury, we were told stories of the Asbury revival of 1970 and the impact it had on a generation of believers not just at Asbury but around the world.

Upon hearing of the happenings at Asbury University these past couple of weeks, Krista and I made the trip to witness this movement of the Holy Spirit. We left Thursday night and made our way through pouring rain arriving late at night at our friends’ house. The next day we made our way to the college with snow flurries flying and bitter cold. The first thing we noticed was that the line to get into Hughes Auditorium stretched across the campus. Satellite places had been established to watch the worship streamed, but we had traveled this far so we decided to wait in line to get into the auditorium. For almost four hours, we waited in frigid temps standing in line to get into a worship service. As we waited, we met people from all over the place doing the same thing we were doing. At one point, someone in line went and bought around a dozen coffees and begin to hand them out. Krista and I held the coffees and welcomed the warmth it brought to our cold hands. In those four hours, we made new friends and witnessed the bond that happens between those seeking to worship God with all their heart. As we made our way closer to the auditorium, the sounds of worship became more pronounced. At one point, we began to hold hands with those around us and simply prayed for their various towns by name for the Holy Spirit to fall upon those places. Dawsonville, Ga was lifted up.

As we finally entered the auditorium, we went from the frigid cold to the warm embrace of the most beautiful spirit of worship. Young, old, and all in-between worshiping their Creator in freedom. Krista and I worshipped for about 45 minutes although it felt like only a few moments. We left so that others waiting in the cold could experience the warm embrace of the Spirit. I could have stayed much longer, but those 45 minutes gave me a glimpse into glory. The thought that kept coming to my mind was that this must be a taste of what HEAVEN is like.

David Sanders