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The Grand Performance
he conductor steps to the podium and lifts his baton. With every eye on their leader, the musicians raise their instruments. At his cue, the strings begin a lilting melody, bolstered by the woodwinds and brass. The audience listens with rapt attention as the beautiful tones of the symphony fill the concert hall. The enjoyment of all is only heightened by the expectation that a famous tenor will soon add his rich voice to the glorious music. As the moment arrives, the orchestra hushes and the conductor signals for the soloist to begin. But instead of rich music, a strident silence fills the hall. As the conductor glances toward the place where the tenor should stand, he drops his baton in dismay. The soloist’s position is empty. Someone terribly important is missing. This woeful picture is God’s reality every day. When we pray, sing, or tell of His love, our praises delight the Master Conductor’s heart. To add to His
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great orchestra, He recruits, transforms, and trains people from every tribe and nation. Their worship, ascending from all over the globe, blends into a symphony of incomparable beauty. God hears each person and every language. He takes in the lovely strains of a Spanish solo while at the same time soaking up a powerful choir singing in Swahili. At the same moment, however, He also hears stark silence marring the beauty of His masterpiece: the silence of hundreds of languages in which no one is praying or praising Him. Why the silence? Honest souls among these people are longing for light. Yet, no one is praising God in these tongues because not one of them has even heard His name. But the concert is not over. And God is counting on you to help bring these missing members to the grand performance. You can start by asking, “Who’s missing in the chair next to me?” And you can pray, “Lord, give me Your heart for the unreached people who have moved next door to me from around the world.” That’s right: They are next to you! Even if you’ve never left your small town in America, God has placed someone in your influence who has never heard of the Song of the Lamb. That person may be an immigrant, a foreign exchange student, a business traveler, or a tourist.