CCM artist Matthew West has chosen a theme song for the 2024 election year, but the song has little to do with Republicans, Democrats, or politics of any kind.
But it all has to do with prayer.
West's new song don't stop prayingencourages listeners to keep praying even when all hope seems lost. “Let's keep knocking on heaven's door and scraping the floor with our knees.” He recently wrote on Instagram that the song is a “mission statement” for 2024 “onto my own faith journey.” .
West told Christian Headline that the song is the perfect theme for 2024. This song was released this month.
“In 2024, I feel like we're entering into the unknown,” West told Christian Headlines. “I remember thinking in 2020, 'It can't get any worse than this.' And then in 2021, I was like, 'I'm not seeing anything.' And then 2022 was like, “Look at this.” But every year it seems like we're trying to overtake the previous year as the craziest year ever. Of course, we're entering an election year. What if, as a follower of Christ, that is my calling: to dedicate myself to prayer and deepen my prayer life? ”
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He added that the song acknowledges that while prayer can sometimes feel hopeless, it is still powerful.
“It's a call not to give up. It's an invitation to remember that the Bible says there is power in prayer, and that the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective. And it reminds us that we serve a God who hears us when we call on Him. May this song be a special anthem for others as we enter the new year. I hope. Don't stop praying for your family. Don't stop praying for the prodigals. Don't stop praying for your financial situation. For our country. Don't stop praying for our leaders. Don't stop praying for our leaders.”
Too often, West says, Christians are too distracted by work or leisure to take time with God each day. He knows this lesson firsthand, he added. In recent months, he has been following a social media trend and participating in the so-called “cold plunge,” which involves sitting in ice-cold water for a few minutes, for health benefits.
“And I'm proud of that, right? And I felt good,” he told Christian Headlines. “But one day, when I was in the depths of the cold, I felt as if I had been condemned, as the Lord said to me, “The hardest thing for you, Matthew, is to stop and hold your Bible. As a follower of Christ, I need to remember: [that] If your mission is to do at least one difficult thing a day, then I need to do it. The hard part is sitting down and being still and talking to God. And praying is hard. This is especially true if you have prayed something over and over again. There's a line in the song that says, “Even if I cry, even if I cry until my tears run dry, there's no answer, and I don't know why, and I wonder if it's okay to bow down.'' Try it one more time, even if it's just one more time. ”
West begins his “Don't Stop Playing Tour” in Charlotte on February 22nd.
“I have a vision for my spring tour of building a big prayer wall where people can go up to the lobby and write what they're praying for,” he said. “And we're going to collect them throughout the tour. I think it's going to be a beautiful story of people believing that God hears our prayers.”
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Terry Wyatt/Stringer
Video provided by: Matthew West (via YouTube)
Michael Faust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His story was published in Baptist Press. Christianity Today, Christian Poecent, of leaf chronicle, of toronto star and of knoxville news sentinel.
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