Chris Tomlin remembers “divine connection” with Syrian pastor

June 22, 2024

Photo from Chris Tomlin’s Instagram

Chris Tomlin remembers “divine connection” with Syrian pastor

By Movieguide® Contributor

Grammy-winning singer Chris Tomlin calls it a “privilege” that one of his melodies became the “song of faith” of a pastor in a country where Christians are persecuted on a massive scale.

“A few years ago I met this pastor from Syria and that’s enough for me – a pastor from Syria – what that means,” Tomlin said in an interview with Worship Leader last month. He “met the Lord through dreams. Jesus appeared to him in a dream and he told of his life and how he had to start a church in Syria and lose everything he ever knew – his family, his business, his friends. Everything.”

“And I think every day could be his last day on this earth,” the “Holy Forever” singer continued. “And what it looks like to live a life of faith in Jesus in that kind of environment, and I was with this guy and a friend and I got to know him, and he was speaking broken English. And my friend said, ‘Have you ever heard of Christian music?'”

The man replied, “Never,” but then said that he had actually heard a song and played it every day.

“‘This is my song that I sing every morning before I go out and share my faith, because this is my song of faith,’ the pastor told Tomlin.

“And he looks at me and says, ‘I know who goes before me. I know who stands behind me. The God of angelic armies is always by my side,’ and he talks to me like I don’t know the words,” Tomlin explained, “and he’s like the one who reigns forever, he’s a friend of mine,’ and I mean, tears are streaming down my face. My friend said, ‘Do you know who wrote this song?’

The man said he had no idea who wrote or sang the original song. Then Tomlin’s friend told the pastor that Tomlin wrote it.

“He just grabs me and hugs me and says, ‘This is my song of faith.’ And I’m just thinking, ‘Lord, how do you let me be part of a song that this pastor sings in Syria, where it’s a matter of life and death every day? This is the song.’ And he literally says, ‘Do you want to hear it in Arabic?’ And I said, ‘Yes.'”

The man pulled out his phone, which had only one song on it – “Angel Armies” by Tomlin, sung in Arabic.

“There’s this guy singing it in Arabic and I was like, ‘Lord…’ It was just one of those things where it was definitely a divine connection because yeah, I mean, I just happened to meet this person and it was incredible, but to think that you can be a part of someone’s life with songs like that, what a privilege. It goes so much beyond recognition and awards. They’re so insignificant compared to something like this.”

This story is proof that he accomplished what he set out to do: help people build their relationship with God and their faith in Him.

“I must “I want to release songs that bridge that gap,” Tomlin told CBN. “I want to write songs that people sing to God. There’s nothing wrong with a three-minute pop song, but I want those songs to be special to the church. That’s the focus more than ever.”

“They’re songs that become part of the cultural fabric,” Tomlin said. “That’s God’s spirit, God’s favor on a song. And to be part of that in some small way is so special. That lasts so much longer than quick fame.”

Tomlin has just toured Europe singing and sharing the gospel and is about to begin the second half of his Holy Forever World Tour. The next leg of his tour, which begins August 14, will travel through Canada and the United States.

This week he posted on Instagram: “The Holy Forever World Tour kicks off again in CANADA at the end of the summer and I couldn’t be more excited… tickets are going fast so if you want to be there, get your ticket now!”