On the red carpet at the 65th Annual Dove Awards, Lauren Daigle shared the inspiration behind her latest song, “Let It Be a Hallelujah,” and gave the church an exhortation.
Last Tuesday, Oct. 7, Daigle, who was nominated for Artist of the Year, told ChurchLeaders that her new single came from the bottom of her heart, sharing, “I love it.”
The song has been sitting on the shelf since 2019, after Daigle and her team decided to not release it following the death of the song’s co-writer and producer Michael James Ryan Busbee.
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“The message of it is what I love so much,” Daigle said, “The message of just knowing you can endure, if you praise, any circumstance that is difficult…especially in this time of life.”
Daigle continued, “You know, a lot of people feel the oppression and the weight of the time, but I truly believe that praise is the thing that shifts the atmosphere—the thing that breaks people free from any addiction, any depression, anything that they’re facing.”
“God is so faithful to come and meet with you when you worship,” she added. “It’s just taking your affection and saying, ‘I’m not going to rely on the things of this world. I’m going to place my trust in Jesus.’”
ChurchLeaders asked Daigle to share a word to those in the church, considering the “pressure cooker” times we are living in. She responded by encouraging Christians to “get ready and tell the truth.”
The Grammy Award-winning singer elaborated, “Don’t shy away from the truth. Tell the truth. The truth is hard, but the truth delivered in love is amazing.”
“It’s hard because there’s so many things that are pressure cookers right now,” Daigle said as she referenced the persecution of Christians taking place in Nigeria. The country ranks No. 7 on Open Doors’ World Watch List for countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.
“I mean, I just saw this thing about what’s happening in Nigeria, and my heart,” Daigle said. “We don’t know. We think we know. We do not know. We have luxury Christianity over here. That’s what this is, and we need to act like it.”
Daigle encouraged, “So I would tell the church, ‘Get ready, get prepared, and start paying attention to the things that actually matter.’”
“Don’t get caught up in the things that are not tried and true,” she explained. “At the end of your life, is this what you’re going to be talking about? This is what you’re going to be focused on? Are you going to be able to say, ‘Yes, Lord, I served you with all of my heart and hear the well done’?”
“If that’s what you’re living for, you’ll be fine. If not, sort it out before it’s too late,” Daigle concluded.
Daigle later performed her song “Let It Be a Hallelujah” during the Dove Awards. The performance can be viewed here.
