New Living Translation (NLT)

Verse 11: 'you will fill me with' from New International Version (NIV).

Italics no by author.

[You won't] orig: [you will not]

Dad is dead!

I was rudely awakened by my mom, who was in a state of panic and fear. She was banging on my door, crying, "Dad's dead!"

Quick backstory: my recording studio is attached to my parents' house. In my life 'before God,' I used to live in another city. But I don't own a house anymore, so I've been living in my studio these past few years. It's not ideal, to say the least, but it is what it is. Jan, my wife Janis, and I have been looking for a house ever since. So, if you know of a place, give us a call. 😉

So, this all went down in December 2023 on a cold, dark night.

I was wide awake, heart racing. I flung open the door, and my mom was just beside herself, repeating, "He's dead!"

I said, "No, he's not, and if he is, we'll bring him back!"

I rushed down the stairs to my parents' bedroom. There was my dad, seemingly lifeless, his eyes open but frozen, the bed covered in blood. I rushed over to him, listened closely, and I could hear a faint rattle in the back of his throat. I could see his mouth was filled with blood. He was choking.

Before I entered the room, I had prayed for guidance from the Holy Spirit, and I felt calm.

I rolled my dad onto his side to let the blood drain out. He wasn’t responding, but I saw his chest moving a bit. "Alright," I thought, "he's not dead!"

I told my mom to call for help.

While I held him, I started singing every Project of Love song I could think of, with scripture suited for this situation. I started with Psalm 23. And as I sang, I could see my father calming down. Still unresponsive, but calmer. I started praying out loud, singing, and rebuking the spirit of death and trauma.

Meanwhile, the lady on the emergency line wanted updates. I explained the situation, and I checked his vitals. The ambulance was on the way, she said, but I had to give her updates every few seconds.

I said, "I can't do that; I need to pray and sing for him." She told me to quit praying and singing because she needed to know his situation.

I said, "I understand, but right now you can't do anything for him, and I believe in a God who can turn this whole situation around. So right now, I need you to be quiet, or I'm hanging up."

I know that sounds harsh, but it was a life-or-death situation; there was no time to be subtle. 😉

My father was still shaking, and I could see there was still tension in his body. So, inspired by Jesus, I spoke to the tension and tremors and commanded them to leave in Jesus' name. And... they did! My dad looked like a little baby sleeping.

By the time the ambulance came, he was coming around, still confused but alive and on the mend. 🙏

In the hospital, we learned he'd had a very severe epileptic seizure. They kept him there, and I drove back home to take care of the animals.

Now, why this story, you ask? What's it got to do with Psalm 16?

When I got home and finally collected my thoughts, I asked the Spirit for a scripture to sing that would help my dad heal.

He gave me Psalm 16. I read it in the NLT, and verse 8 jumped out at me: "I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me."

I will not be SHAKEN. Thank you, Holy Spirit, I love it!

I recorded the vocals for this song that same day. Those are the vocals you'll hear when you play this song. It took me another year to complete it.

Now, I know I said I was calm, and I was, but honestly, it took me months—maybe even a year—before I could sleep soundly again.

This prophetic Psalm, first sung by David and later quoted by Peter in Acts 2, wasn’t just for my dad; it was for me too. Can you see how timely and super relevant the Word of God still is? It's amazing! 🔥