Lacey Sturm, lead vocalist of the rock band Flyleaf, was 16 years old when she decided to kill herself. She had already planned how. She had already decided when. But her grandmother asked her to come to church one more time — and Sturm, out of guilt, agreed.
The Last Sunday
Sturm walked into the service with no intention of staying. She was angry, empty, and certain that nothing in that building could reach her. She sat in the back, arms crossed, waiting for it to be over so she could carry out her plan.
Then the worship started. She could not explain what happened next. As the room filled with singing, something broke through her defences. She described a warmth spreading through her body — not from the music itself, but from something behind the music. Something personal. Something that knew her name.
An Encounter She Did Not Expect
Sturm began to cry uncontrollably. The anger dissolved. The death plan dissolved. She fell to her knees and, for the first time, felt what she later described as "being held by someone who actually knew the worst parts of me and was not leaving."
She did not go forward for an altar call. She did not talk to a pastor. The encounter happened during worship — in the back row, without anyone knowing the war that had just ended inside her.
From Darkness to Flyleaf
Sturm went on to form Flyleaf, a band that has sold millions of albums. Their music carried the same rawness she felt that day in church — the collision of pain and hope. She has shared her story at events around the world, always returning to that single moment during worship when something intercepted her trajectory.
She has said, "I went in to die and walked out alive. Not because of the sermon. Not because of the people. Because something met me during the worship that I did not have a category for."
What This Means for You
You never know what the person next to you in a worship service is carrying. And if you are the one carrying something heavy right now, know this: worship can reach the places that logic and conversation cannot. Sturm's story is proof that a single encounter during worship can literally save a life.