PSA: This is the story of the song “50 Million,” but right up front, I want to challenge anyone who is being a voice for the unborn to also put their money and their action toward caring for women and children in need and funding adoptions. Give to a life affirming pregnancy center and adoption agency today.
“50 Million” was written after I had a vision in early 2009. Like a movie playing on the screen of my imagination I saw myself looking out of window of a house and seeing an endless sea of small children. There were millions and millions of children the age of a toddler or a little older for as far as I could see. They were all looking right at me. It shook me. I immediately knew I was looking at a representation of the aborted children of our time. At that time the estimated number was 50 million in America. It’s a devastating reality that already since writing this song the number is 61 million.
As I experienced the vision, melody and words began to come into my mind. I knew I was being given a song to represent the ones who were never given a voice of their own. I was being commissioned to be a voice for voiceless. Phrases were forming in my mind as dialog happened within the vision. I was giving the children some of the excuses our society uses to justify ending their innocent lives, but they would respond to me singing. The first verse is about everyone’s responsibility to be a voice for the voiceless and how our society is guilty, down to the individual, for being passive about it. The second verse is about the inconvenience of a child and the third verse is about disabilities and poverty.
I was taking a shower when this happened to me and I called out to my wife asking her to bring me a pen and paper as fast as she could. I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to document all that was racing through my mind before it disappeared from my memory. She had no idea what was going on but hurriedly found me what she could. Providentially, she grabbed a red pen (uncommon in our house) and a legal rule writing pad. It took me a while to recognize and appreciate the significance of those two utensils.
I scribbled down as much as I could. Later, I took it to an instrument to see how trying to sing and play some of it would go. The experience was different than any song I’d ever written - the thoughts, the melody, the poetry - it all came noticeably more effortlessly than I’d experienced before. It was honed more over time in community, sharing it with close friends and relatives and getting feedback and ideas from people’s reactions and insights.
I hope many will hear this song and consider what millions of children might have to say - children who have had their voice and their lives taken away. If they had a voice, what would they have to say to us about what happened to them? About what has happened to millions and millions more.
After one of the times I sang this song publicly, I was speaking with a few people who had heard me perform it. Someone said something like, “I’m praying that lots and lots of people will hear this song.” I appreciated that prayer and I hope for the same, but what was said next struck me deeply and has stuck with me ever since. Another person chimed in and said, “Well, I believe about 50 million people already have.”
I have to sing this on behalf of those human beings. Now 61 million of them.
It may be strange for some to consider, but I believe when I sing this song I’m representing (as best as I can) what my Father in Heaven wanted me to see and hear about children who have had their opportunity to make history taken away from them. I know I’m commissioned to be a voice for the most voiceless victims in the history of the world and I hope who ever reads this will be convicted that we all have that same responsibility. If we can’t honor and protect the most innocent among us, how can we justify demanding that we should do that for anyone?
I am believing that this is something that can change. Not just in laws but in the hearts of Americans - in the heart of humanity. I’m believing we could learn to value protecting the most innocent and most vulnerable in our society. There is nothing more innocent and nothing more vulnerable than a baby in the mother’s womb, and that should be the safest place on earth to be.
Abortion is a giant far greater than Goliath. Goliath was a man. Abortion is an idea. It’s going to take an army of Davids walking in the grace of God to see it fall. I am one of them and this song is my stone.
