The Man of God in Black

The Man of God in Black
“I knew Bob Dylan was searching for the truth and had been for years. And anyone who really wants the truth ends up at Jesus.”
— Johnny Cash 
We recently discovered that our 2 month old son, Ezra, LOVES Johnny Cash. When he's having a fit, and we've exhausted all of our options (milk, mylicon, pacifier, prune juice, diaper change, etc), we will throw on I Walk the Line, and he'll fall right to sleep. Perhaps it's the baritone/bass voice or the 'train beat' rhythms that soothe him. We have no idea.  
As a long-time listener, I've begun to rediscover Cash's music. But despite the fact that I have 265 of his songs saved on Spotify, I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of his music with the 72 albums released in his lifetime. 
Nevertheless, the story of Johnny Cash's life is a very inspiring story marked by rebellion and redemption.  
J.R. "Johnny" Cash had his fair share of personal struggles: the loss of his older brother, Jack, at 14 years old (and the ensuing emotional abuse from his father), rejection by record labels, substance abuse, divorce, and many others. All of these events contributed to the rough, rebellious, gritty persona that he is still remembered for today. 
In his final interview before his death in 2003, Cash described an encounter he had with God in Nickajack Cave in Chattanooga while strung out on pills in the late 60s. In his own words, this was the "beginning of the end" of his struggles with amphetamines.  
After his recovery and subsequent marriage to June Carter, there was a noticeable change in Cash's life. His music began to shift to a more "clean" tone, and, although he had recorded gospel songs throughout his career, he began to dig deeper into the faith.  
The best example of this transformation is his 1973 album, The Gospel Road. This album is a country oratorio, using musical drama to tell the story of Jesus' earthly life. The songs are so short that it forces you to listen to the album front-to-back and get the full experience. I imagine that his was intentional so that his listeners could hear the full story of Jesus and come to faith in Him. All in all, The Gospel Road is truly a masterpiece. 
So, here he is, the Man in Black, using his musical genius to glorify God and tell others the good news of Jesus. I am so grateful that Ezra has a solid Christian icon to look up to- one who had real, tangible struggles, but also saw real, tangible transformation in his life. And with Cash being a household name, perhaps this will give Ezra the opportunity to share the gospel with his friends.

As the church, what can we learn from the story of Johnny Cash?

1. In Christ, there is always hope. We can trust in Him to deliver us from the ongoing sins that so easily ensnare us.  

2. The Holy Spirit brings about visible, tangible, noticeable, observable change in our lives. 

3. God gave us a testimony that others need to hear. 

4. God gave us talents, abilities, and gifts so that others can see Jesus.

May we all glean from the Man in Black and trust in the transformative power of God!
 
To God be the Glory, 
Bro. Casey