Many of us grew up listening or rather singing along to beautiful worship songs by Don Moen. Many of our childhood memories feature choreographing his songs or choir presentations where we mimicked his awesome way of ministering.
I bet some of us thought of him as a different kind of human being born with a special ability to write great worship songs and minister with them.
Well, yes, Donald started off in life knowing he wanted to do music but not as a singer or songwriter but as an instrumentalist. He had studied music education/violin major in his junior year of college and immediately after, joined a singing group out of Oral Roberts University called Living Sound. He was hired as a violinist, trombonist and guitarist. His plan had been to travel three months with them, but he ended up travelling around the world with them for fifteen years.
Donald’s first try at songwriting and singing was while travelling as a pianist with an evangelist named Terry Law. In 1986, he recorded “Give Thanks” but this was by no means the start of a new career as a singer for him. To him, he was just giving his own quota of support for a worthy project (Hosanna music). But sure enough, he started getting invitations to sing from different places.
This new development scared him as his comfort zone was playing in an orchestra where no one would see him or playing an instrument in the background while someone else was in the spotlight singing. In fact, when he eventually decided to give in, the first time he sang on stage, he was so embarrassed that he almost burst into tears (How’s that for the history of a living legend in gospel music?)
As if to further complicate matters, he received a letter from his sister in law where she says she had received a vision from God while praying for Donald and his wife. She said, “Don, as I was praying the Lord gave me a vision of you standing in front of thousands of people and leading them into God’s presence and writing songs that soothed the hearts of kings.”
You can easily guess what his response to such an information was. He was not having any of all that, he alone knew how embarrassed he felt on that stage when he had allowed people’s encouragement such as this push him out of his comfort zone. He simply told his wife that “Honey, your sister Susan is a great girl, but she’s not a prophet. There’s no way I’m going to stand in front of thousands of people and sing. It ain’t gonna happen.” (You see how “perfectly correct”present situations can be in predicting what the future will hold right? #wink)
But as we know, it’s hard to continually resist when the spirit of God is leading you on a particular course.
So while still travelling with Terry Law, on one night when they were ministering in Oklahoma, he couldn’t resist that there was still something missing even after they had finished doing all they rehearsed. So, with a nervous and quivering voice, he asked the crowd to sing the chorus with him one more time and sure as you can guess they obliged him, ignoring his poor singing and nervousness but recognising his great heart of worship.
Next thing he knew, every weekend when they preached somewhere, Terry Law will drag him out of his comfort zone. He would say, “I want Don to come lead us in a couple of worship choruses.” Don was not comfortable with this and he told Terry that he felt humiliated because he couldn’t play the piano so well and he wasn’t a good singer. But Terry won’t let up (You should have a good brother who will be Terry in your life until you yield yourself to what God wants you to do).
This continued until eventually, he recorded “Give Thanks” and before he knew it, he was leading thousands in worship as his sister-in-law had seen in the vision she had of him.
Sometimes, the destination we’re headed for may not look anything like where we are right now. In fact, present situations could rather be a good indication that the dreams or visions we have are very unrealistic and most likely unachievable if were judging from the natural perspective.
But, we know we are not mere men and we serve a God who doesn’t live in space or time. He knows the end from the beginning and knows what he has fashioned for everybody.
When God gives you a vision or dream, don’t bother about your inadequacies or the hugeness of the dream. Do not waste time resisting, but take every day as a step closer to your dream while getting yourself ready for the final destination.
Don Moen did not start out planning to be one of the greatest worship ministers to ever live, but he definitely took the thing he loved doing and did it to the glory of God in every way possible. He also showed a heart that was willing to do whatever it is that God wanted even if it was outside his comfort zone; he left perfection to God. This is why Don Moen is our Man Crush for the Week!
What is the state of your heart as regards career or the things you love? Does it reflect who you are? Does your love for God affect every other decision in your life?
You can find out more about Don Moen on his website www.donmoen.com or visit www.talkjesus.com
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Article By Ojochide Isaac
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Blessed.