Sid: My guest is so red hot for the Messiah that I understand that she prays with a group of teenager’s every morning at 5:30 am. Now most singers I know Karen Wheaton don’t want to talk to anyone at 5:30 in the morning they would rather do this at night. How do you manage to pray at 5:30 am with these teenagers?
Karen: Well, it was an amazing experience when the Holy Spirit called me to work with young people and much to my surprise actually. At the end of 1998 when He called me back to my home town in Hamilton, Alabama. I had been in the ministry for over twenty years by myself and I come back to my home town of 6,000 people in the middle of nowhere and the Lord spot lights to me the youth of my city. Sitting on the hood of their cars in the wee hours of the morning purposeless and unaware of the real God. And He speaks to me Sid and He says “I want you to work with the youth of this community.” Well, I explained to God why I was not the best choice to work with young people. I was too old, not cool and way too busy in the ministry. And Sid He gave me one statement that He knew would get me, “But what you invest in the lives of other young people you would reap in your own children.” So with two teenage daughters I took Him up on that offer.
Sid: Now tell me the first, the first young people you spoke to to get involved with tell me what that was like?
Karen: It was about 7 young people in the back of a storefront church that my sister and her husband pastored. We were in the back of that building on a Wednesday night and I went to just sort of help out I didn’t really know what God had in mind I just thought I’ll help with what I can. And with 7 kids I began to teach them that #1 there’s a real God who will come if you seek Him. And #2 He has a reason for you breathing, there’s a reason that you’re on the earth. He has a purpose for your life and if you worship Him, you seek Him He will come and when He comes He will speak to your heart and you’ll understand why you’re living. That’s what they did and they sought Him and He did not disappoint them He came. And when He came those kids became addicted to His presence and Sid what you’re talking about about the 5:30 in the morning prayer meeting, that began at the end of 1998-99 when those kids came to me. High school kids at the time and said “Miss Karen we want to pray from 5:30 to 6:30 in the morning before school starts would you come with us.” So sometimes in the dark the sun had not even come up yet I would pull up in that parking lot and I would sometimes I’d be coming up from a road trip tired and 5:30 I would pull up and you got a whole group now 7 kids turns to 30 kids. They’re sitting on the sidewalk waiting for me to open the door. There were times we prayed in those early mornings His presence so thick it was indescribable, those kids prayed for God to send young people to Hamilton from the North, the South, the East and the West and Sid 30 kids has turned to 100’s of 1000’s of kids that have come now from around the world just like they asked God for.
Sid: I want them to hear one of the songs from the CD’s we’re featuring a song that I love the title “Lord You’re Holy.” What does that song mean to you?
Karen: I love to worship Him because I love to see Him and whenever we worship Him we see who He is. Years ago as a young girl I said to the Lord, “Lord what is it about praise that it’s so important that You command that we praise You?” As a young girl I said “Lord, does praise have an effect on You? Does praise change You somehow? Do You need to hear us praise You and worship You?” I said “I’ll do it because You command it but why, why do You want us to praise You is it to change on You?” And God spoke to me and He said “Karen nothing changes me, I’m the same yesterday, today, and forever, but praise changes you.” When we worship Him we see Him and when we see Him we are changed forever.
Sid: Let’s worship with Karen Wheaton “Lord You’re Holy.” Something happened to Karen when she was just devastated by the things of life and the compassion of the Messiah is literally poured out when she worships but I have to tell you something else. When I listen to her worship many of her songs it makes me happy, it just gives me joy, it’s so infectious.
