Most of us first saw Danny Gokey when he auditioned for the 8th season of American Idol just 4 weeks after the death of his first wife during a surgery intended to treat her congenital heart disease. That experience and others have played a big part in shaping the music Danny has brought to us since he placed third on American Idol. Recently, he took a moment to share about his new song “Rise.”
Story Behind “Rise” by Danny Gokey
Hey what’s up guys, we’re shooting a music video for “Rise” and I know a few weeks ago I promised that I’d share with you the story behind the song. Rise came to be about three years ago I found a really dark season of my life; a really dark depression and you guys know my story. I just came out of a loss not too long ago. I felt like I passed that test but all of a sudden things were happening in life where I felt so beat up again and man it just took me to a really dark place. I remember I lost about 15 to 20 pounds. I lost my appetite. I felt like I couldn’t control my mind.
It got so bad to a point my wife would have to hold me in bed and she had to just kind of speak encouragement, speak scriptures over my life because honestly I felt like I was going to die. I can’t explain it. Well, I was a little upset and angry at the time because I’m like, “Man, God why do you let things beat me up over and over again?” But then as I began to just kind of ask God for some help this is what came to me. It was Isaiah 60. This is what I felt like God was saying. It was this” “Rise shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” When I first saw that I was like, “What do you mean ‘rise?’ I’m broken God I need you to heal me before I can do anything.”
But honestly I found that my answer and my healing was just getting up and just grabbing on to the faith that I had in moving forward. And I gotta tell you something, healing did it for me in my heart because I had a big wound on the inside of me. A lot of past disappointment. But healing came to me by just saying you know “God, I know you got my life, I know you got me.” So I just put one foot in front of another. And honestly I would get up and I would just in my mind say it’s going to be a good day.
And I just had to trust God even in the darkest time. But can I tell you at that season of my life I was making an album called Hope in Front of Me. Little did I know that the songs from Hope in Front of Me especially Tell Your Heart to Beat Again and Hope in Front of Me and More Than You Think I Am would be songs that would change peoples lives. People who were on the verge of committing suicide I would get notes from them telling me that they felt like giving God a second chance.
People going through tragedy and loss and disappointments and through dark seasons, they found hope in my music. So let me tell you this maybe what you’re going through is not really about you but maybe there is something–there’s a message on the inside of you and your story can help someone else. That’s exactly what was going on. In hindsight God was telling me to rise because, for lack of a better term not being super spiritual, there was an attack on my life to shut my mouth and keep the message down. But since I allowed God to heal me now I’m able to bring healing to other people’s lives and that’s what I’m trying to tell you guys. What you’re going through there’s a bigger picture. Some of you are stuck in chapter 7 when you need to be in chapter 8 and chapter 9 God’s already written your story.
You just gotta get out of it. Take your brain out of it. That’s what I do I take my brain and my emotions out and say God I know you got me. I don’t feel like you have me but You got me.
That’s the story behind “Rise”. And you know what guys, honestly, accept the message of hope today. You know honestly there are better days ahead of you. Where you are today doesn’t define who you’re going to be tomorrow. Get back up, it’s your season to “Rise”, it’s your season to shine.
There’s a great destiny for you guys, a great great hope God has written this story. Walk it out because you’re going to see the goodness of God.
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