Watch What Christian American Idol Alum Danny Gokey Did for a Fan Whose Baby Faced a Scary Diagnosis
From American Idol contestant, to country singer, to Christian music artist— fans have watched Danny Gokey transform before their eyes throughout his very public battle with depression.
Gokey sat down with CBN's Studio 5 to tell his story about what inspired his newest album "Rise" — and before he left, he did something for a fan that is sure to warm your heart.
Gokey says the inspiration behind his album came from his song "Rise," which he wrote from . It says:
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip."
His battle with depression started just a month before show auditions for American Idol. The one-time truck driver married his high school sweetheart but lost her in a surgery gone wrong.
Now almost 10 years later, Gokey is married again and he's a father. He said it's when he chose to stop listening to the enemy, God's grace shined through.
"Depression is your choice, you can choose to be depressed," Gokey said. "That may sound insensitive, and there probably is chemical imbalance, I'm not a doctor, so what I speak to is to the people who really have made the choice to come into agreement with the lies. The lies that it won't get better, or the lie that your best days are behind you."
He continued, "I think a lot of us can get to that place, we take the bait of the enemy and it can sink us into a dark place. But if you allowed the word of God to renew your mind, it'll make you new even though your circumstances are old. It will give you a new perspective."
Gokey went on to say he thanks God for challenging his mind on his views of depression and says, "God tells us I have not created you like that, I fixed depression on the cross."
Gokey said he didn't just want this album to tell his story, but to inspire fans to trust God's voice during tough times.
"If you lean in, God is saying that situation, he has the answer for. Whatever feels hopeless, he's able to bring the most hope," Gokey told CBN. "It's in the midst of your darkest moment, that's usually when God is calling. If you hear his voice he's whispering, saying, 'rise.'"
Gokey says connecting with his fans is one of the best parts of his job.
"I love that I get to share the gift and the messages of what God has put in me and I've heard some incredible stories. What people have walked through, the things that people had to endure, the things that people have overcome, it's been inspiration for me as well," Gokey said.
After his interview he proved that statement to be true. A CBN News producer asked the singer to record a special message for her friend – a mother who was waiting on what could have been a scary diagnosis for her newborn son. Doctors thought the two-month-old had a tumor in his airways.
The producer's friend, Brooke, received the video while in the waiting room at the doctor's office and told CBN News the prayer "meant so much to her."
