Matthew West Reveals Emotional Encounter Behind No. 1 Song ‘Don’t Stop Praying’
Music
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By Michael Foust, Crosswalk.com
A Matthew West hit single that soared up the Billboard charts was inspired by a conversation with a fan about the power of prayer, he says.
West’s song Don’t Stop Praying made it to No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay Chart and has become West’s most-streamed song ever. It marks the 13th time West has topped the Christian Airplay Chart. But how did the song popular song come about?
“A lady came up to me [at] one of my concerts in Greenville, S.C.,” West told Crosswalk Headlines. “And she and her husband said that ‘we’re excited to be at your show tonight, but tomorrow morning, we’re gonna be going in for surgery’ -- because she was battling breast cancer.”
West had assumed the couple wanted a selfie. Instead, they requested something far more substantial.
“She said, ‘Would you mind praying for us?’ And I remember that moment -- sometimes I can be guilty of saying, ‘Hey, I’ll be praying for you’ -- and then you get busy with life, you move on and forget.”
With roughly 100 people in line waiting to greet West, he bowed with the husband and wife in prayer.
“We stopped in that moment, and we said a prayer for that lady,” West said.
“And it just dawned on me that here I was on stage that night singing for all these people … [and] they’re all fighting a different kind of a battle. And they’re all lifting their hands and praying and worshiping and believing that we have a God who hears us when we pray. And so that’s really what helped fuel this song.”
The song, West said, has special meaning during an election year when Americans are facing an uncertain future.
“I’m excited to be able to usher in songs like Don’t Stop Praying,” West said. “This is a reminder that ‘Hey, there is power when we pray.’”
West kicks off a 17-city tour Oct. 30 in Pensacola, Fla.
