Michael Bethany was leading worship, building wells in Sri Lanka, writing songs, and serving the church—but something was missing.

Then in 2017, he watched a Francis Chan YouTube video about Isaiah 6. And everything changed.

That night, he felt guilty praying from his bed. He got on his knees, humbled himself, and started waking up 1.5 hours earlier for a daily prayer closet—even though he "didn't know how to pray that long."

What happened next reshaped his entire ministry.

In this powerful conversation, Michael shares: ✅ Why intimacy with God is the ENGINE for mission (not the other way around) ✅ The teenager moment when he spontaneously sang "Holy" and everything shifted ✅ How getting tricked into a Sri Lanka missions trip changed his relationship with music ✅ Why "you don't have enough energy to change the world without intimacy with the Lord" ✅ The #1 reason worship leaders get fired (hint: it's not musical ability)

If you're running on fumes, trying to lead well while feeling distant from God—this episode will recalibrate everything.

Listen now and rediscover the secret place.

Mentioned in the Episode

Overflow Conference

Life in the Wild

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The Worship Online Podcast is produced by Worship Online in Nashville, TN.