Greg Sykes – Flipped

During that season, I couldn’t shake that my pastor’s wife was telling me that I should be writing songs through all of this difficulty. I thought, “You’re crazy,” but as I did that, despite all of the bad that had been going on, I began to make a list of all of the good things in my life. This list became unbelievably long…God had been faithful and He never let me down, never let me alone, and I ended up writing this song called “Faithful.” As I was going through the rigors of seeing an ear, nose, and throat specialist and a speech therapist to recover my voice, God simultaneously brought healing to our marriage. I ended up getting invited by my pastor to share our marriage story, and “Faithful” became a very special song in our church. It ended up winning a Canadian GMA Award, which was, like, my first award, but it’s such a testimony to how God can use some of the lowest parts of our lives.

My voice isn’t perfect, and our marriage isn’t perfect—I want to stress that—but we have experienced so much healing.

CCM: Another common struggle for many is overcoming fear, especially as it relates to getting up in front of crowds and public speaking, etc. You’ve admitted that this has been a life-long issue for you, as well…
GS: I think I had to read it about 100 times before it really set in, but the story of David and Goliath… As a kid, you hear that story and go, “Yeah, that’s cool.” I mean, God helped him throw that rock and hit the giant just right, you know? But there’s so much more to that story, and that’s been a scriptural basis for [finding] confidence, and then just trying to live like David.

He worked hard when he was guarding the sheep from prey. He had to keep fighting off the animals that would want to attack and take the sheep, so he had to get real good with his accuracy in defending the flock. I pictured him for many years practicing in the woods and in his fields, so that when actually he got up to face the giant, he could either look at his circumstances and go, “Man, this giant is way bigger than me,” or he could confidently step up to the occasion. He said, “No, no. I come in the name of the Lord,” who is his strength, but he also had the practical years invested into his skill so he could actually, with confidence, pull back, prepare, and launch that rock with accuracy because he had been there before. That’s a practical example of working hard behind the scenes when no one is looking—working on my spiritual muscle, yes, but also the practical, musical things so when I stand up in front of a thousand strangers, I don’t need to be afraid.

CLICK “4” TO ADVANCE