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 is No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Airplay Chart and is on track to be West’s most-streamed song ever. It marks the 13th time West has topped the Christian Airplay Chart.
“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.’ For all the campaign slogans that we’re going to be hearing this year, that’s my campaign slogan: Don’t Stop Praying 2024.”
Related Article: Matthew West Declares ‘Don’t Stop Praying’ as His Theme for Election Year 2024
The song is part of his new album, My Story Your Glory. He kicks off a 17-city tour Oct. 30 in Pensacola, Fla.
WATCH Full Interview: Matthew West Testifies 'There's a Spiritual Awakening Taking Place'
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Terry Wyatt/Stringer
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.