I knew when I bought the tickets in November that the concert would fall smack dab in one of the most crazy, demanding weeks of the year for me, but I was not about to miss Lauren Daigle live.  

So I purchased tickets along with my daughter and some of our dear friends. I hardly even had time to anticipate the concert with everything else happening in “Maycember,” but amidst the chaos, and in spite of some unanticipated day-of delays, we finally arrived at the concert venue. 

Imagine my surprise, however, upon walking up the stairs at least half an hour later than planned to a venue that seats more than 12,000 people, and having a totally unexpected fangirl moment! 

No, I obviously did not run into Lauren Daigle herself outside.  

But I did run into the inimitable Ganel-Lyn Condie!  

I have been following Ganel-Lyn online for a few years and own a few of her books. I have consistently appreciated her believing and nuanced perspectives on faith, as well as her mental health advocacy and her interfaith work, all things that really resonate with me.

Three short weeks prior to the concert, I had commented on a post by Ganel-Lyn that one day I would love to meet her in person, to which she kindly replied, “Oh, let’s make that happen someday.”  

We live in neighboring cities, so I knew this was possible, but I figured if it ever happened it would be by me attending one of Ganel-Lyn’s public speaking engagements and going up to say hello afterwards. I definitely did NOT think it would be because God would arrange a chance meeting for us arriving late at a Lauren Daigle concert 40 minutes away from our home cities! 

Ganel-Lyn was so gracious to give me a hug, take a photo with me, and give the credit to God for answering a prayer in my heart in this unexpected way.

As I moved on to take pictures at all the colorful concert photo ops and find our friends and our seats, something about this surprise meeting kept tugging at my heart.  

“Even the sparrow has a place to lay its head
So, why would I let worry steal my breath?
Even the roses You have clothed in brilliant red
Still, I’m the one You love more than this
You give me everything, You give me everything
You give me everything I need.” 

“Everything,” performed by Lauren Daigle

Later in the concert, Lauren shared a beautiful story of how, in a season of incredibly intense overwhelm, God gave her the exact balm she needed in the form of a song that she would then get to sing over and over again on tour, repeatedly imprinting its message in her heart and mind as she did so.  

As I listened to her sing “Everything,” seated by people I love, sharing music about Jesus, whom I love, and feeling the Lord’s love in return through all of these elements and something as simple as running into a fellow believer, I realized that God was actually hearing and answering much bigger prayers of mine.  

This year has been hard. I know everyone has hard things in their lives right now, and I am no exception.  My faith has been plumbed, probed, and stretched past any previous limits. Amazingly, in surrendering to God all the control I have clung to for so long, I am now finding a profound peace and calm.  Sometimes it comes in great waves, and sometimes through the accumulation of tiny drops. 

Yes, I absolutely wanted to meet Ganel-Lyn. But in the grand scheme of things, there are other prayers weighing on my heart much more heavily.  And yet, in answering that small, sparrow-like desire of my heart, I felt reassurance that my Heavenly Parents would, indeed, also “give me everything I need” in more consequential ways. 

As tired as I had been earlier in the afternoon, I came home late after the concert feeling alive, joyful, and profoundly grateful for reminders that “every little thing is gonna be okay.” 

In the end, it doesn’t matter to me if someone else reading this story doesn’t see anything remarkable about my experience beyond a lucky coincidence. 

All I can say is, “Thank God I do.”

“When I can’t see, You lead me
When I can’t hear, You show me
When I can’t stand, You carry me
When I’m lost, You will find me
When I’m weak, You are mighty
You are everything I need”

“Everything,” performed by Lauren Daigle