Interview:

Music was created by God, as was every instrument to be used to bring Him glory. All throughout the Bible we read how important music is to God and to His creation. In fact the book of Psalms is entirely devoted to praising the Creator of the Universe in every situation with every kind of instrument. We are even commanded in the New Testament to sing and make a melody with all our heart to the Lord, and to address each other in “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs” [Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16]. Even Jesus is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew in joining the other disciples in a hymn right before leaving for the Mount of Olives [Matthew 26:30]. I believe the Lord desires us to have abundant lives in Him, and our worship of Him through song is such an integral part of that equation.

For about twenty-seven years I struggled with an incurable disease called Crohn’s Disease. The disease affects the intestines so I could not absorb the nutrients from the foods I was eating. I also had severe cramping and pain from the sores inside me to the point of becoming suicidal. All I wanted was to get away from the pain, but in the midst of this trial, the Lord told me to praise Him. I have always loved music, and had a natural ability that made it easy for me to pick up just about anything I put my mind to. I had grown up in a Christian church and was always leading worship on Sunday, which eventually led to joining a Christian band called Big Tent Revival. We traveled all over and my faith and relationship with God grew. I also met my wife during that season of my life, and she would always say that the Lord was going to heal me, and that I would have a healing ministry. I had lived with the illness for so long that I thought she was nuts, and even though I wanted to believe, I couldn’t.

Life on the road is not the best situation for someone with Crohn’s Disease and dealing with the disease became increasingly difficult, but I knew that this was where God wanted me. As I got older I transitioned into the group SONICFLOOd. The disease and pain seemed to become more trouble, and the doctors treating me had run out of ideas of how to relieve my symptoms. I felt my hope run out even though the Lord continued to keep me in the ministry of music and singing for SONICFLOOd. I was literally falling apart and the Lord kept saying: “Praise me even in the midst of your pain, even when you are empty, Praise me.” At the time I really didn’t realize the significance of what I was doing but the Lord did, and He always knows best.

I was unknowingly waging a war in the Heavenly places by lifting up my voice in praise to the Most High God! In Ephesians 6:12, we read whom our struggle is against; “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”, and in 2 Corinthians 10:4 we read that our weapons against the Enemy are mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds; “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds”. In my case, as I lifted up Jesus in praise and thanksgiving, the Lord was pulling down the years of lies Satan had planted in my heart. As I continued to praise and worship the Lord with my lips, I saw the hope of the Healer rise up in me. I felt my heart changing from wanting to die, to having courage to live because I was receiving a gift of faith. The walls around my heart were coming down, and I came to a place of complete surrender. Finally I was able to surrender to the Lord, because all the lies that Satan had filled my head with had been torn down, and the truth about my Father in Heaven was all I could see. After God healed my heart and mind, the Lord in His supernatural power healed my body! I am now a living testimony of God’s faithfulness, and the strength we have received as God’s children through praise and worship.

“Music was created by God, as was every instrument to be used to bring Him glory.”
– Rick Heil, vocalist in SONICFLOOd