All You Need is Love

Seventeen days into this year\’s David\’s Tent, and I have lost track of the stories, even the ones I have experienced or heard. There are more, of course.

At least four people have prayed to repent from their sins receive the mercy of Christ.

Prayers of deliverance and healing have been ministered.

Homeless people have been found shelter.

Divine appointments and connections have occurred with orchestration which could only be from a sovereign God.

Most importantly, a continuous song of praise has been raised for over 400 hours in the center of our nation\’s governing system, and in a place where God is so desperately needed.

There have been so many small stories, too. Admittedly, most moments do not involve ministry in the sense which we love to hear. Mostly, we tie curtains and straighten chairs, we clean porta-potties and stock communion elements. I personally spend much of my day chasing the kids around the tent, grateful for the opportunity to talk to another mother who may stop by, or for when the kids are occupied enough to let me read from the Bible, pray, or engage in worship.

But there are glistening little moments that refresh, like the dew on the grass every morning when we arrive: when a team member stayed all night and half the day with a young homeless woman who came into the tent for warmth; when Secret Service officers come by to check on us and let us know, in so many words, that they support us and are thankful for our prayers; when I stand with my children as they play in the dirt and we smile at and greet tourists. In all these moments, love is expressed, and that love changes things.

The only vision for David\’s Tent is to keep praises resounding. Like the priests of the Temple, our job is to keep the flame of love lifting to God. In doing so, just by tending that environment of praise, we are able to reach out with a hand of love in a gentle and unpretentious way. This cause and effect is Jesus\’ greatest command. We are grateful for the chance to participate in the great flow of divine love.