Have you ever held your breath until you were so desperate for air that your toes twitched; your cheeks became balloons and your eyes bugged out? Overpowered by deprivation, did you sip air in all proper like, or did you swig down big gulps like a scorched vagabond at a thirst-quenching oasis?

Our lungs crave air. Our soul craves God—Fresh, life-giving. . . God. We ache for an encounter with Him. Do you know what it feels like to yearn for, to long for, to covet God?

Early November, [2005] I drove into Camp Kulaqua just outside of High Springs, Florida, for the GODencounters Retreat. I had been asked to teach a seminar on prayer. Although I had taught many times on the subject of prayer, I didn't know what to expect from this "GODencounters" thing. Being a movie buff, Spielberg's Close Encounters, with flashing UFO lights was all I could picture.

Friday night began with, curriculum coach, Allan Martin’s preface, “If you've come here to be entertained, you've come to the wrong place. We're not here to entertain you or make you feel good. We're not offering you a showy religious program. We're here because of a sacred discontent. We're here to encounter God because we're dissatisfied with what was good enough before. We want to live in His presence 24/7.” The room was still—the kind of stillness you feel before an approaching storm.

As the reality of the statement settled into people's minds, the storm came. There was a cacophony of unsolicited “Amen’s,” and applause. Worship started and hundreds of young adults shook God's house with their breaths of praise. Deep breaths. Long breaths. Cherished breaths. Eternal breaths.

The meeting may have ended, but worship continued into the night in various prayers rooms, including an A-framed lodge which had been transformed into a living, prayer sanctuary, with 10 interactive prayer stations guiding you in your holy encounter with your Father. Tea lights and scented candles flickered throughout the room, as soft music added to the warm ambiance. The first thing I saw was a sign, “Take off your shoes because you are standing on holy ground.” So I did. And then I inhaled—not the proper, image-conscious breaths I take at religious programs, but deep breaths—filling up on God's crisp, energizing presence.

I was in a mall not long ago and passed by an oxygen bar. People sat on stools along a counter that was topped with shampoo-sized cylinders that were bubbling with different colors of liquid—yellow, green, red, blue. Maybe you’ve seen them. Covering the nose and mouth of each customer was a mask. Attached to the mask was a tube. Being piped through the tube was crisp oxygen. It's called the “oxygen experience,” and it promises to “pick you up” and energize you.

At the GODencounters Retreat, I experienced how Elijah must have felt when God told him, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass you by.” [1 Kings 19:11, (NIV)] I knew I was in the presence of God. Hallelujah! And I didn't want to leave. I yearned to remain within this Oxygen Experience—I coveted it, because the breath of God was reviving my soul.

My soul was not alone; others were being revived too. Covering the prayer room wallpaper were etchings in crayon, markers, and pen. Scribbles and sentences from other breath-taking souls.

“[I give You] My life, totally. My weakness, my fears.”

“Lord, please allow my family and I to see You face-to-face in the clouds of glory and to hear You say, ‘Well done thou good and faithful servant.’”

“May I worship You forever! Your praises are my life!”

“I offer my life to You. Take control of it and lead me to You. Let my vision be Jesus.”

“Dear God, I'm sorry for leaving You. I miss your presence and I want to be with You and You with me. . .please be present again in my life. I'm coming back to You. Help me. Your child.”

His children breathe in His presence. Pastor Minner Labrador along with praise band, Sea of Glass, and music group, OneAccord, facilitated worship that endorsed our royal relationship with God as His sons and daughters. Practical seminars, creative communion and anointing services refreshed our practice of being in His presence. Just being with over 270 other young adult GODfollowers through the weekend—at praise, at play, at prayer, at peace—was CPR for the soul.

Sebastian Zaldibar, a 28-year-old social work major, concurred, “Throughout the entire weekend, I felt the Spirit tugging constantly at my heart and impressing upon me to realize who I am, that I am a Son of God. That fact completely changed my perspective on myself and how I view others around me. . . The most important aspect of GODencounters was understanding who I am, realizing that the only way to go to God in complete surrender is to know who I am and Who I need in my life.”

“[At GODencounters] I finally accepted Jesus personally,” said Rebecca Sarah Ali of Miami, Florida. “I learned that God is my Dad. I can actually develop a relationship with Him. . . a relationship full of truth—no secrets—and He will literally forgive me and hold nothing against me!”

Biology major, Christina Jimenez shared the impact of GODencounters, “I got to see a lot of people cry out to God for love and peace in their lives. . . It impacted my relationship with Jesus in a very good way.”

“I was prayed over. . . and felt the power of the Holy Spirit. . . like I was dancing with Jesus, I just stayed in silence—enjoying this time—and had a conversation with Him,” recalled Nicki Carleton, a 31-year-old missionary from Australia, “It was so nice, like getting a beautiful hug.”

To ache for God's presence. To desire His embrace 24/7. To have our souls oxygenated with the Holy Spirit! To simply fall into the arms of grace when your soul is too weary to stand, and be carried for a few steps on your journey home. To live like you are His child. Oxygen for the soul—this is a God encounter.

"This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life." [Ezekiel 75:5 (NIV)]

Elder Lynell LaMountain and his wife, Jennifer, live in Jacksonville, FL. He is a freelance writer, trainer, speaker, and founder of Life Ignited: Igniting People with Life, Laughter&Love.