Childhood Trauma and Father's Suicide
When Matt Redman was seven years old, his father took his own life. The trauma of that loss could have destroyed a young boy. But for Matt, it became the beginning of a journey into the arms of a different Father.
"A group came over from America a month after my dad died," Matt recalls, "and they brought a wonderful new expression of worship music that I found captivating." In the midst of grief, worship became a lifeline. "Worship music was a place of safety for me. I learnt early on that when you come to the throne room of God it's not only a place of reverence—it's a place of refuge."
But the darkness wasn't over. Matt's mother remarried, and her new husband abused the family. "Things got very dark there in my teenage years," Matt has shared. The trauma compounded. Yet somehow, through it all, faith held.
Finding God Father to Fatherless
Then came the decisive moment. At age ten, Matt attended a mission service led by Luis Palau at London's QPR football stadium. There, the boy who had lost his earthly father found his heavenly one. He converted to Christianity.
"I can honestly say that God was to me what it tells he is in the Psalms: a father to the fatherless," Matt has testified.
Worship Music Becomes His Calling
The music that had comforted him in childhood became his calling. Encouraged by Mike Pilavachi, an Anglican church youth leader, young Matt began leading worship. He started playing guitar because he wanted to sing the songs from church. By twenty, he was leading worship services and recording his first album.
In 1993, Matt helped Pilavachi found Soul Survivor, a global Christian movement and yearly music festival aimed at youth—young people who, like him, might be searching for a Father in the darkness.
Global Impact and Ministry
His 2011 song "10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)" won two Grammy Awards and has become one of the most sung worship songs in the world. But for Matt, the accolades matter less than the purpose: bringing others to the same refuge he found.
"Speaking of the death of his father," one interviewer noted, "Matt said: 'Worship was in the mix early on. It became an important part of how I got through some of my early years.'"
"Things got very dark there in my teenage years," Matt has reflected, "but again, by the Grace of God, I decided to trust Him and trust that He was in control."
From the ashes of tragedy, God raised up a worship leader whose songs have helped millions find their own refuge. The boy who lost a father found the Father—and has spent his life helping others do the same.
