Jo Dee Messina Says Cancer Brought Her Closer to God

When Jo Dee Messina revealed she was battling cancer last year, she knew she had a difficult road ahead of her. But aside from her physical struggle, which caused her to cancel several concerts, Messina reveals she found herself at an emotional and spiritual crossroads as well.

“I know there was a day when it just came tumbling in,” she confessed to radio station WAY-FM. “I think it was prior to surgery where insurance had lapsed. And my tithing check bounced. Yes, people, my tithing check bounced! I’m like, ‘What is going on?’ And they’re like, ‘With no touring, there’s no income. There’s no cash flow.’ And so, the insurance had lapsed, and I was going through some legal processes, and so I’ve got some legal papers, that are never fun to get.”

While many people would have become despondent over the misfortunes in their life, the “I’m Alright” singer did the only thing she knew to do: pray.

“I was so overwhelmed I had to step outside and just pray,” Messina recalled. “I just had to praise Him. And not, ‘Oh God, thank You for this. I’m going to learn so much,’ which sounds so stereotypical. And it isn’t real. Because when you’re in it, it’s hard to pull yourself up to do that. But I went outside, and I started reciting His promises. I’m like, ‘You promised You’d never leave me … You see my heart. You know that I love You and for those who love You you watch out for.’”

From the moment Messina was diagnosed, she relied on her faith to see her through the dark days.

“On her lowest of low days, she has been able to see God’s hand at work and feel His love as she continues her walk,” one of her representatives said after her diagnosis. “It is because of our Father’s love that she has been able to find the beauty in the days that could have brought her the most fear, gratitude in moments that most would call unfair, and companionship during times she might feel the loneliest.”

Messina wrote a song called “Here,” after finding out she had cancer. The song, which says, “There’s no pain, there’s no fear here / There’s no shame, there’s no worry here / Your love makes chaos and confusion disappear / There’s no hard, there’s no heavy here,” became one of the most unforgettable moments producer Seth Mosley has every experienced.

“It was one of the most powerful moments I’ve had in my entire studio career,” he said. “To see Jo Dee singing ‘there’s no pain, there’s no fear, here’ through the cancer and the chaos that she is walking through … God is going to use her and her story to intercept people in their pain and remind them that He is near.”

Messina has several dates on the calendar in 2018, which are available on her website.

Photo Credit: Instagram/JoDeeMessina