I am 31, and about 5 years ago, when I was much closer to God than I am now, I would literally fall asleep praying and talking with God. I remember in the morning it was His presence that would wake me, instead of the alarm clock....I could even feel Him underneath hot water of the shower before I was even awake good.

One particular night, I was lying in bed just praying and listening, trying to tune into to what God was saying to me. (He always has something to say and wants to communicate with us). Before I knew it, having been so deep in prayer or communion with Him, I instantly found myself in another place. It was not expected, not wished for, it simply just happened. I remember being held up by what I will call Angels. I was amazed. The first thing I noticed was the most beautiful music, praise in fact. There are no words to describe it. I was in awe and so moved by what I was hearing. Try to imagine the whole world singing in perfect harmony at once and this might come close to a description.

As I lifted my head I realized I was in the presence of God. I was humbled and speechless and felt ashamed. I felt ugly and worthless compared to what I saw and felt. But I was assured....although I felt so inadequate to praise Him with my earthly voice. I knew for some reason I was not there to participate but moreso to just take in what I was seeing, hearing and feeling.

Before me, and what seemed like millions of miles away, there was the most awesome purest white light I had ever seen. I knew it was God. This whole scene looked as if it was taking place in space with nothing else around and it consisted only of light. Around God, were millions and millions and millions of angels circling all around and around continuously praising Him. I am a very analytical person and once I was over the shock of what I was beholding, I began to ask questions, although I didn't have to verbalize them. The angels knew. I felt as if lifetimes of knowledge was being absorbed by me, and still to this day I am learning things and understanding God and things about his character from this one experience. There are no words in any language or combination of languages to describe God, Love, and the awesomeness of everything He is.

I learned that in Heaven, if this is where I was, you could actually see Love. In this life on earth we only have the ability to do things that attempt to express it, we react to it and act on it. But we cannot not actually see it. God is LOVE and I saw that. I immediately understood the passage in the Bible where it talks about Children of Light. The angels were beings of light, not pure white like God, but they were reflections of Him, as we are to be in our daily lives. You communicate in Heaven with your heart. And you can see what is in someone's heart in heaven....really see it. I still get teary eyed just typing this, thinking of it all.

I also realized that the angels were being lifted up as long as they were praising God. I knew that if they stopped, they would fall. This has to be true in our lives here. Praise is a very very very powerful thing. It connects us with God. It is a sacrifice of adoration and it is in part what we were created for. I have tried over and over to write things that articulate this experience...and I have a few that do a good job.

At any rate without going further, several days later I was questioning God. I wanted to know why the Angels were the color of light they were. He immediately showed me. I was to think of a prism and how it will split pure white light. When the light is split you can see most of the colors of the spectrum. I realized then that we are to get our lives in line with God, to strive to be a reflection of all that He is and His character. Its a simple but awesome truth.

I wanted to see something in the Bible that came close to what I experienced and this is what God led me too: Revelations 5:11-13 "Then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, To receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing! And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and that are in them, I heard saying: Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, forever and ever!"

This experience has made me long for the day when I get to return. It has also given me much hope, courage, and understanding of the indescribable love God has for each of us. To be able to freely praise Him is one of the greatest gifts, opportunities and privileges we have.

Tim Hill