The Bible says God is love. That’s a deep concept—that He actually IS love. There’s a promise I really like, one I’ve taken as my own in Jeremiah 31:3. It says, ‘…I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.’ That’s my testimony. He’s been drawing me for a long time.

Ever since I was a young person doing some pretty foolish things, He began to work in my life and draw me—even though I didn’t know it at the time. I was raised in a Christian home. As I was growing up, I didn’t come to know Christ personally or get involved in church. I spent time watching TV and hanging out with the wrong crowd. My mother didn’t have a very positive relationship with the Lord, so I didn’t really want God.

I began taking drugs and got involved in a number of other things that were exciting but ultimately unsatisfying. As a result, I became increasingly rebellious. I got into trouble with stealing and got kicked out of several schools. I wanted to escape God. I hated the rules. I thought the restrictions were going to ruin my life. I wanted to be free—to do whatever I wanted. I began taking drugs and got involved in a number of other things that were exciting but ultimately unsatisfying.

My parents realized I was in serious trouble. They knew I was getting into dangerous things and not moving toward God as they hoped. But they did one thing right—they rallied everyone they could to pray for me. They gathered people to claim Bible promises that I would see God as He is and come out of my destructive lifestyle.

Some of the promises they claimed include Isaiah 42:7 ‘To open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.’ Verse 16 says, “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.”

While I was living with a group of young people, taking drugs and studying pre-law, my parents had people praying. I thought I was free. I was partying, buying and selling drugs, and we had stolen some cocaine. By all appearances, I should have been happy—but I wasn’t. God was drawing me with His everlasting love, and I became more and more miserable. My friends told me to relax and enjoy but I knew something was missing.

Relationships were falling apart. My girlfriend and I split up. People were cheating us in drug deals. Life just felt empty. One day, after a particularly bad experience on psychedelic drugs, we sat in our apartment and asked ourselves, “Why are we so miserable?”. We thought that by leaving religion and doing whatever we wanted, we’d find happiness. But we were empty. As we looked to the future, it seemed meaningless.

As we talked, I believe God was answering those prayers. He reminded us of the teachings from our youth—that God is love, and love makes people happy. Love changes lives for the better. We realized that what we needed was love, and we remembered that God is love. So we thought, ‘Maybe we should give God a chance.’

The Bible worker had once said, ‘You’re going to need me someday—here’s my number.’ So, at around 3am, we called him. That night, we decided to try Jesus. The Bible says, ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good.’ We thought about the people who had shown us unconditional love—our parents, a kind lady who brought us food, a Bible worker my parents had sent. They were all Christians. The Bible worker had once said, ‘You’re going to need me someday—here’s my number.’ So, at around 3am, we called him.

We started Bible studies and joined a group of young adults studying together. We began attending a small church where the people were just filled with love. We had long hair, looked rough, and were coming out of the drug and rock culture—but they loved us anyway. They didn’t care how we looked or what our past was. They showed us Jesus’ love.

Through these people, God continued drawing us. We got involved in small groups, and when we missed a meeting, they would call and say, ‘We missed you!’. That love drew us in.

A few months later, we were baptized. Not long after that, I felt called into full-time ministry. Since then, I’ve been involved in serving others. Every time I help someone, it has strengthened my spiritual walk.

I thank God for saving me just in time. We had stolen cocaine and were about to start injecting. But God pulled me out. If He can save me and use me to help save others, He can use you, no matter what you’ve been through or how bad you think you are. God loves you. He’s drawing you with His everlasting love. He wants your life to touch the world and change people through love—because God is love.