And when I say into, I really mean consumed by.
Truth be told, I think I'm losing my hearing. And I think it's because I stood in the front row to see countless bands, screaming every lyric along with them. Now that all of my favorite bands have broken up, I've given away most of my CDs and my wife has to repeat herself because her deaf husband didn't hear her the first time.
Do I regret it? No way! Those days were great.
One summer, three of us drove seven hundred miles to Cornerstone, Illinois. 300 bands were scheduled to play, and I credit most of my hearing loss to those five days of rock.
One particular morning, I woke early to a stump poking out of the ground, through my sleeping bag and into my back. Rising sooner than I wanted to, I began to walk from booth to booth, stage to stage.I happened upon the Rock for Life stage. Rock for Life was a non-profit music organization that advocated pro-life. My interest piqued, I stepped over to see an organized group in conversation. A session was just ending.
They finished with prayer. And that day, my perspective on prayer made a huge shift.
The guy leading the session ending with this conversation with God,
"God, we pray for the hearts of abortion doctors. So that they would become Your followers and leave their profession. Thus ending abortion."
My head could not fathom the humility that I was hearing.
Jesus' words came to mind, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even tax collectors doing that?"
Here was a guy who was praying for his enemies. Not that they would fall, but that God would spiritually change their hearts. And on such a controversial topic such as abortion, he chose to love his enemies, wishing the absolute best for them (that they would encounter God).
Sometimes, I feel like we spend too much energy trying to gain political power, rather than praying for spiritual change.
Regardless of your position on politics like abortion, America will not heal by having the right law passed, or the right person in office.
These are spiritual problems. And political solutions cannot fix spiritual problems.
I challenge myself, and you, to have an attitude like this Rock for Life guy, to pray NOT for political, professional, or or social power.
But for hearts to be changed.
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In what ways does your spirituality affect your politics?
