By Jim Denison
On Feb. 3, I was among more than 3,000 guests attending this year’s National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. Reflecting upon the experience, it seemed that all the presentations could be summarized in a single theological assertion: God redeems all that he allows.
Our first speaker was Jose Enriquez, one of the survivors of the Chilean mine disaster. He described the first moments after the miners were trapped, when he gathered them to pray. They began holding regular prayer meetings. Every one of the miners learned to pray personally and with the group.
When supplies finally began arriving from the surface, each miner received a Bible with his name on it. Enriquez said this helped him preach more powerfully to the men. The day they were rescued, they met for one last prayer meeting. Each wore a T-shirt proclaiming his gratitude to God for saving them. And the world watched while they gave glory to the Lord.
The second speaker was Randall Wallace, the man who wrote the screenplay for Braveheart. He also wrote Pearl Harbor and directed Secretariat. Wallace told the story of his own faith pilgrimage, describing a time when his circumstances were so difficult that he could only submit them to God in an earnest prayer of surrender. The thoughts that came to his mind after that time led to Braveheart.
Echoing the theme of the movie, Wallace quoted Tolstoy’s observation that one man running away can panic the whole army, while one man snatching a flag can rally them. One life can change the world, if it is surrendered to God’s plan and purpose.
The third speaker was President Obama. He told us how he “came to know Jesus Christ for myself.” The president stated that he begins every morning with prayer, asking God for strength to fulfill the day’s calling. He ends every evening with prayer, asking forgiveness for his mistakes and praying that God would watch over his family and the nation.
He said he prays that he might walk close with God as his first and most important task. Events of the last two years have caused the president to embrace Abraham Lincoln’s assertion, “I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”
Our final speaker was Mark Kelly, astronaut and husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. He said he believes that God had a larger purpose in his wife’s shooting and all that has transpired as a result, a commitment which has given him strength during the hardest days of his life.
Redeeming hardship for good was the message of the day. God redeemed the Chilean mine disaster by bringing the miners closer to himself and reminding the world that he still works miracles. He redeemed Randall Wallace’s personal crisis by leading him to deeper faith and surrender to his calling. He redeems the challenges which the president faces, and he is redeeming the tragic shooting in Tucson as he answers the prayers of millions.
Randall Wallace stated, “You can own the pages of the Bible, but you do not own the Bible until you have lived it.”
From Genesis to Revelation, it is the story of redemption.