Stories from the bandstand
I have been a professional musician for over 40 years and have enjoyed every minute of it—almost. I’ve done my share of paying my dues and learning my early lessons. There was the wedding where they didn’t want to hear anything that I wanted to play, or the gig where I got to play all my favorite music but everyone was talking instead of listening.
In actual fact, I’ve had a very fortunate career. Some would say I’ve been very lucky. However, being raised in Christian Science gave me a different perspective. I knew God had given me a talent and a purpose to go with it. There was a plan. God’s plan! All I had to do was my absolute best and then listen for and obey God’s direction.
Even when something didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped, I’ve usually found myself saying, I wonder what God has in store for me this time? Every single time, God’s plan has been better than mine.
God is my true Mother-Father, who loves me unconditionally and wants only the best for me. Plus, so many times the answer He provided has led to abundant blessings. I’ve also found that God never puts me in a position where I can fail—never! So I can trust God and accept any gig, knowing He will make my way perfect.
Once, the band I was in was scheduled to accompany a minor Australian pop star. Thousands of fans were expected, so the concert was held at an outdoor sports stadium in the evening.
After I arrived at the venue to set up, we discovered that the public address (PA) system was too small for the thousands of people who were expected. Also, no one had arranged for stage lighting. So our pop star ordered a massive PA and lighting rig at her own expense. Despite the temptation to panic, I remained calm as I started to pray, and sensed God’s control of the situation. I knew all would be well.
Over the years, I’ve learned to go immediately to the opposite of a negative situation and then back it up with spiritual truths. For example, panic would say that the equipment won’t arrive and get set up on time. Spiritual truth says, “God is in total control because He is the source of all intelligence, coordination, and order.” Or, as Mary Baker Eddy puts it in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “Divine Love [God] always has met and always will meet every human need” (p. 494 ).
This “conversation” with God also included listening for direction and calming thoughts. By the time the PA arrived, the audience had grown to about 2,000, and we had to move the exceptionally heavy equipment up three flights of stairs. But my prayers helped me immensely.
Although we were rushed, most of the setup went smoothly. The audience was conspicuously quiet and patient. I remember thinking even they were responding to God’s calming influence. Audiences at a rock concert wouldn’t necessarily be so peaceful, but this one was that night.
At one point, a power-amplifier box, which was compact but weighed as much as a truck, had to be moved to an awkward place. I’m no weakling, and neither were the other three men who each grabbed a handle on the box. We all grunted in harmony but gasped in disbelief at the weight of the box. Without warning, the other three men let it go, and it dropped on my foot.
It took me two milliseconds to respond. I had been raised in Christian Science and experienced many healings growing up, so it felt totally natural to go to God immediately.
There was a plan, God's plan! All I had to do was my absolute best and then listen for and obey God's direction.
I knew that the Bible and Science and Health contained many ideas that would help me in this situation. However, on this occasion, I went with an abbreviated prayer. It was a silent but firm, “No! No! No!” Not just any no, but a “No!” the size of Ayers Rock, which is a major Australian landmark that’s 1,142 feet high. This “No” didn’t have any element of doubt in it, and I knew it had the power of God to enforce it.
Behind that one-word prayer was a deep knowing that I would not, could not, for an instant, identify myself as being part of this drama. God would not, could not, let an accident happen. Otherwise it would mean that momentarily God was not on the job. An impossibility.
I kept my thoughts in the absolute. By that I mean focusing only on pristine thoughts about myself and God such as: God is always present and governing my life. He is pure Love. He has never let me down. I remain in perfect health. I am a perfect reflection of God right now. He is always protecting me.
In a split second, and amazingly, I was able to pull my foot out from under the dead weight and quickly walked away from the others, as I knew I had to go to God in prayer without delay. After a little while, I thought, “Maybe you should take your shoe and sock off and just check?” No! To me that would have meant doubting God’s 100-percent care. I didn’t feel panicky or in any pain. I remained rock solid in my affirmations of the truth about my continuous protection by God.
By now, over 5,000 people were waiting, the fireworks were all set, and it was showtime! I had to choose: Should I give in to fear and cancel the gig or trust God totally?
God had gotten me this far, and I knew God doesn’t do things in half measures. He takes us the whole way. Why do I know that? Because God actually is divine Love, and I knew He loved me. After what seemed like an hour of non-stop praying, all fear just evaporated and I simply got on with the job.
And you know what? The gig went so well that I actually forgot about the whole incident with my foot. The event was a huge success, and we all felt exhilarated. It wasn’t till the next morning that I even thought about my foot. Again I was tempted to inspect it, but I remember thinking, “No, I’m trusting God. I don’t need to check on His handiwork.”
A couple of days later when I had bare feet, I glanced at my foot and suddenly remembered the incident. There was no mark on the foot at all.
So what is my lasting memory of that eventful night? That a prayer with the simplicity of a single word can be totally power-packed with God’s protection.
