Simply Come

With COVID-19 spreading, wildfires blazing out of control, fierce hurricane winds and flooding, and severe financial challenges, we may feel like we need a miracle to make it to the end of 2020!  Do you believe God still does miracles? Have you ever experienced one of your own?

Raised in a suburban middle class neighborhood outside of Syracuse, New York, Brandon Rhynders grew up active in Royal Rangers, an activity-based small group church ministry for boys and young men. Although he attended a church that emphasized developing a relationship with Christ, he never chose to pursue one. During his teen years he participated in Bible Quiz, a competition between teams over knowledge of a pre-determined section of the Bible. Brandon memorized Scripture verses, but never applied them to his life or related them to the deep, gnawing hunger of his soul.

Instead, Brandon began experimenting with drugs. He says he felt his life was empty and meaningless. “Something wasn’t right,” Brandon says, “I was looking for something I couldn’t explain.” In the search, he confesses that he hurt a lot of people and stole money to pay for the drugs. One night, when he couldn’t find pain pills, he turned to heroin. This opioid slowly reeled Brandon into a ruthless addiction. He was terrified that he would never be free of drugs again. His family desperately tried to help him. Brandon completed two detox programs in Florida, but expensive rehabs were not powerful enough to break this ironclad heroin addiction. 

Three days before Christmas in 2016, Brandon’s dad dropped him off at The 180 Center, a Biblical discipleship program for men located in New Haven, CT. Desperate for help, he complied and made an eighteen month commitment, but Brandon knew he had never been sober for more than three months. What would happen when the cravings for this dangerous opioid returned? The withdrawal symptoms were serious and life threatening. How would he make it through a long term program?

Mentally and physically exhausted after searching for years for something he could not explain, Brandon became desperate enough to finally surrender his life to Jesus. In the book of Matthew, Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” The first request of Jesus was simply to come to Him. 

When Brandon became desperate enough to make a u-turn to Jesus, he found true rest for his soul. What surprised him the most though was that he never again experienced cravings or withdrawals. He had no need to detox from one of the most addictive drugs ever known. Brandon received a miracle! He says, “It was the craziest thing! I had so many withdrawals at other places and every time I tried to stop using. Once I surrendered to God, I never had a symptom of withdrawal. That’s how I knew God wanted me to stay at The 180 Center.”  God had blessed Brandon with a miracle deliverance from heroin! “I was created by God for a relationship with Him. It’s like a puzzle piece was missing; life never felt whole or complete until I was connected to God,” he explains. Today Brandon, a graduate of The 180 Center, works as a Director of Marketing and Development for a firm in New Haven and takes online classes at Gateway Community College. His plans are to someday attend Bible college and pursue God’s call on his life. 

If you met Brandon today you wouldn’t recognize him as a former opioid addict. He’s no longer weary, searching for something unknown, nor is he carrying the heavy burden of addiction.  Brandon’s been changed from the inside out. And it all started with an invitation from Jesus when He lovingly said, “Come.” Often we exhaust ourselves, trying so many different things to satisfy and appease our desire for relief from the cares of this world. All seem the answer for a season, but we eventually end up back on the treadmill of life, exhausted from the speed and effort it takes just to hang on. We can easily become yoked to the suffering all around us and weighed down by distressing circumstances. So often we say we need a miracle to make it through this day, this week, or this year. Today God provides the miracle of REST for our soul if we choose to be yoked to Him. He promises to teach us and make our burdens light. We must simply “Come.” Come as you are and surrender your life to God. There’s no need to delay. He’s waiting. Will you choose to accept His gracious invitation?