Actor, singer, musician and TV host Harry Connick Jr. recently joined the “Jesus Calling” podcast to talk about the power of prayer and his faith journey. He said, “My faith and my family, those are the most important things to me. If I’m happy in my marriage, if I’m happy in my family life and in my spiritual life, no matter what comes my way, everything sort of falls into place.”
Connick Jr. lost his mother when he was 13 years old, calling it one of the hardest things he’s dealt with. The actor said, “I’ve had some tough times in my life. The toughest was when my mom died when I was 13. That was a real test, knowing that was kind of part of God’s plan.”
He added, “I really had to hold on to my faith and believe that, ‘This is what’s supposed to happen. I’m going to try to accept this as gracefully as I can.’ Now, those were high ideals. I wasn’t able to do that at thirteen years old.” Then about seven years ago, Connick Jr.’s wife was diagnosed with breast cancer.
He shared, “That was another incredible test of my faith. I feel like my faith has passed that test every time, and when that happens, it deepens just a little bit more. Like I was saying to my dad last night, my dad will be ninety-five this month. It’s something that grows, and although he’s been a man of faith his entire life, I think his faith is even deeper now, and I’m seeing how that works.”
However, through all his challenges, Connick Jr. concluded that prayer has always helped him. The musician emphasized, “I really believe in the power of prayer. We’ve all experienced loss. We’ve all been frustrated, confused. We’ve all been scared. I’ve prayed a lot. Recording this music was a form of prayer for me where I could close my eyes and really kind of sink into the lyrics that I was singing.”
He added, “And I truly believe that the power of prayer works. And when I tell somebody, ‘I’ll send some prayers your way; I’m going to pray for you,’ I really mean that. Prayer is keeping that line open with God for me. I believe He’s listening, and I believe that He’ll answer us in ways that He thinks they should be answered, and they may not be what we expect. Sometimes we may get to know, but I’m okay with it. Prayer is important to me, and I believe in it.”
In 2021, Connick Jr. released a gospel album, “Alone With My Faith,” saying that he worked from home and reflected on his faith. He played over 25 instruments to complete the new album, which is full of timeless hymns like “Amazing Grace,” “How Great Thou Art,” and “The Old Rugged Cross.”