NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 08: Host Carrie Underwood performs onstage at the 51st annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on November 8, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/FilmMagic)
(Photo by Terry Wyatt/FilmMagic)

It is no surprise to Carrie Underwood’s fans that she is a devout Christian. The country star is incredibly open about her faith and shares it with the public regularly. Through her social media, philanthropy work, and music she regularly chooses to put God first in her life.

This past week, Underwood brought her faith to the spotlight again by giving one of the most powerful performances in CMA Awards history. The Oklahoma native was overcome by emotion during the awards ceremony as she melted the audience with her rendition of “Softly and Tenderly: Jesus is Calling.”

She performed during a special in memoriam segment dedicated to the more than 50 people who were killed last month at the Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas. The segment also included a presentation to people in the music industry that had died in the past year, including Glen Campbell, Tom Petty, Troy Gentry, and more.

As the photos of those who passed appeared on the screen behind her, Underwood’s voice began to break and she became so emotional she couldn’t continue to sing the words. The moment captured the hearts of many viewers, who posted about it on social media. Fan Courtney Mitchell posted on Twitter “This dark, often cruel world is a whole light brighter because of people like [Carrie].”

Underwood then led the crowd in prayer for “Las Vegas, Charlottesville, New York, Sutherland Springs, historic storms in Texas, Puerto Rico and Florida and the list goes on and on.”

“This has been a year marked by tragedy impacting countless lives including so many in our country music family,” she continued. “So tonight, we’re doing to do what families do, come together, pray together, cry together, and sing together too.”

This isn’t the first time that Carrie has prayed with audiences or sung traditionally Christian songs. Underwood teamed up with Christian singer-songwriter Michael W. Smith to create a duet of the worship song “All Is Well,” and has sung the ballad “How Great Thou Art” on national television on multiple occasions.

“I’m not the first person to sing about God, Jesus, faith (or) any of that, and I won’t be the last. And it won’t be the last for me, either. If you don’t like it, change the channel.” Underwood told Glamour.

Carrie is a strong Christian women in Hollywood, and is using her fame to bring out the best in others by sharing her faith through her beautiful music. Watch the powerful performance below.

More from Beliefnet and our partners