Christian Musician's Department - Leaning On God's Anointing
I used to be very nervous before and while doing a concert. My knees knocked (literally), my chest would hurt, my throat would go dry. I would hope that nobody saw my tension, and that would make everything worse. I would pray before a concert, "Oh PLEASE show up, God! What a disaster this will be if you don't show up!" I could just imagine the terrible feeling of singing totally without God's anointing and how empty it would feel. Sometimes I would feel beforehand that a particular concert was going to be difficult. I was always right. That made things even more suspenseful.

I recently had a conversation with another longtime recording artist about the process of gradually learning to lean on God and how much easier it had become to do concerts. There were definite things we'd both learned through the decades - here are some of them.

1. I do not prepare myself spiritually before a concert anymore. As weird as it sounds, it's true. I have realized that Jesus has prepared me through the Cross - I LIVE prepared. When I do a concert, I am ME, an imperfect human who has been forgiven, and who is now a vessel for the Good News. I no longer apply an additional coat of white paint to my exterior so that I can be worthy to do a concert. I stand in His grace.

2. God prepares me specifically for each concert. Every concert is different. God guides and directs me through each situation. Since I am no longer involved in desperate last minute efforts to be as holy as possible, I think He has an easier time communicating to me about what is important.

3. I don't beg God to show up. This was a big one. One day God made a small but life changing comment to me about this.... "Wendy, have I EVER not showed up?" With a shock, I realized that God had never not showed up. How can a God who dwells permanently within me not show up?? I felt silly for ever doubting Him. Now I know that as long as He has me sing out His Good News, He will show up. :-)

4. It's not my responsibility. It's not up to me to manipulate people into the Kingdom. I may sow, or I may water with my songs, but it is God who brings the increase. I sing, but He is the one who communicates with people, including me, during a concert.

5. I pray for the concerts, and have other pray for them. After years I realized that my feelings that certain concerts were going to be difficult were promptings from God for prayer. (Boy can I be dense.) Now when I have those feelings I pray for the concert until the feelings subside. I can't remember when I last had a difficult concert.

6. I don't think about silly things during a concert. I focus on the message that is going out through the lyrics and music, instead of whether or not my outfit is color coordinated, or how scared I am, or how the sound is. After doing concerts a long time, your mind can really go out the backdoor... but some people are hearing the songs for the first time.

7. I reherse. I spend time each week singing and playing my instruments so that I can be free to focus on my lyrics when I do a concert... so that my art, my craft, is well tuned.

8. I LOVE the message. Now that I have settled the fact that God is amoung us during every concert, I believe in and LOVE the message. I do not doubt that God is working in people's hearts far beyond the sum total of what I put into a concert. I have learned this through decades of receiving letters and stories about what God has done. When we sing out His message, it makes a BIG difference. I don't doubt my songs and what God can do with them anymore.

9. I try not to waste hot air. As the years go by, I have learned to lean away from periferal things and sing about the Good News. It's amazing how many "Christian" themes we can sing about, and never actually tell people about what Jesus did and who we are in Him. I have a whole article about this called, "Singing The Real Message".

10. My confidence is not in me, but in the message. A friend of mine has said, "How silly it would be for the little donkey who brought Jesus into Jerusalem to think that all the fuss was for him. It was for Jesus." I visualize Jesus standing before me. This is His night, His story, and His message, not mine...yet by His grace it has become mine. I celebrate what He did along with everybody else. I am just as amazed and blessed by His presence and power as anybody in the auditorium... even though I happen to be the one singing the songs.

These are some of the things which have changed my experience of doing concerts from a heavy responsibility to a joyous expectation. The Cross was powerful. It settled things. It was thorough enough to cleanse me permanently. I rest in it, and it is an honor and a pleasure to share this Good News with others.