Phil Wickham may be one of Christian music's most recognizable worship leaders, but the Grammy-nominated singer is admitting that even he had to confront some uncomfortable questions about whether every part of his life was truly surrendered to God.
In a candid new conversation with pastors Levi and Jennie Lusko on their Hey! It's The Luskos podcast, Wickham opened up about a deeply personal spiritual moment that happened the night before the opening date of his Song of the Saints Tour. The August 12 interview also touched on his new book Everyday Hallelujah, his upcoming tour dates with Chandler Moore and an unexpected gospel conversation with the producer of his audiobook.
But it was Wickham's confession about what happened privately before the tour that became one of the interview's most revealing moments.
Wickham explained that while reflecting on Romans 10 and the confession that "Jesus is Lord," he initially assumed God was giving him a message to preach to audiences each night. Instead, Wickham said he sensed the question turning directly back on him.
"Phil, are you letting me be the Lord of your life?" he recalled.
That question apparently hit harder than Wickham expected.
The worship leader said there were areas of his life he could immediately identify as surrendered to God, but also "dark corners" where that answer was less certain. Among them were lingering beliefs that he had to accomplish enough or do enough good things before God would truly be proud of him.
For someone whose songs are sung by millions of Christians and churches around the world, it was a striking admission: Wickham was still wrestling privately with the temptation to measure God's approval by his own performance.
Rather than feeling condemned, however, Wickham said the moment brought an overwhelming sense of love and peace.
He described realizing that God was not asking him to perform another task but simply to allow himself to be loved and healed. Wickham said that encounter produced a new sense of freedom that carried through the entire tour.
That freedom apparently changed how Wickham approached the stage.
He said the Song of the Saints Tour may have been his favorite tour he has ever done, despite having toured since he was 21. The singer said some of the pressure he had previously placed on himself-including worrying about audience approval and making sure people felt they had gotten what they paid for-seemed to disappear.
And there is more touring ahead.
During the conversation, Wickham revealed that Chandler Moore will join him for 16 upcoming fall dates. Wickham also disclosed that he and Moore recently spent three days writing together and came away with approximately eight songs. The announcement was one of several pieces of news packed into the interview.
Wickham also discussed his newly released book, Everyday Hallelujah, which challenges Christians not to treat their relationship with God as something reserved for Sundays.
But perhaps the wildest story surrounding the book happened before readers even got their hands on it.
Wickham revealed that while recording the audiobook, he discovered that the producer working on the project was not a Christian. On the second day, however, the man reportedly told Wickham that listening to the book was making him want to know Jesus.
According to Wickham, the two then spent roughly 30 minutes talking about the gospel.
"If nothing else happens with this book," Wickham said, he already felt God had accomplished something meaningful through that encounter. The producer is also reportedly planning to attend one of Wickham's shows in New York so the two can reconnect.
For Wickham, the stories appear to connect around the same theme: Christian faith cannot simply become another performance.
Whether standing before thousands of worshippers, recording an audiobook or waking up at home, Wickham says he is learning again that following Jesus involves daily surrender rather than simply checking the right spiritual boxes.
And judging from his latest interview, one of Christian music's biggest worship leaders is not pretending he has completely mastered that lesson either.
