Jon Reddick's New No. 1 Hit Born from Wife's Cancer Battle: 'We're Pointing People to God'
Jon Reddick’s latest No. 1 hit wasn’t born in a songwriting session or dreamed up in a recording studio — it emerged from a real-life battle as his wife fought cancer and he clung to the promises of God, just as the song describes.
That song, "Holding On (Praise God)," is No. 1 across four Christian radio charts — including Billboard and Mediabase —and is a deeply personal anthem about facing life’s battles through prayer and trusting that God is holding on to us even when life seems uncertain.
Reddick’s wife, Rebecca, was diagnosed with early-onset colon cancer, launching the couple into a frightening season of uncertainty. She subsequently underwent successful surgery, and a pathology report cleared her of cancer.
At the time, another song by Reddick, "No Fear," was climbing the charts and eventually hit No. 1.
“I was singing 'No Fear,' and my wife had cancer, and I found out while we were on the road,” he told Crosswalk Headlines. “She’s healed from it now. God has healed her, and doctors have removed it all and everything like that. But it's opened our eyes to a lot of things that people are going through, and it's been a crazy year with family loss and stuff like that."
“But going through that has kind of helped us open our ears and open our hearts to what a lot of people are going through right now in a different way. [We are] holding on, and we're praising God in the middle of it, and we’re pointing people to God.”
The song captures that message of faith amid hardship with the lyrics, “I'm finally letting go; giving it all to the One who's in control; gonna fight the battle on my knees; I’m holding on to God.”
Though born from a deeply personal experience, the song carries a universal message for anyone facing hardship.
“I think a lot of times we go through life, we're holding on to stuff and we're clenching it, right?” he said. “And sometimes it's just really good to zoom out and remember that God is big enough to hold the things that we're actually trying to hold and control, because we need to hand it all over to Him. I think that’s the biggest part of my heart in that —is that we actually let these things go and let God hold them.”
A worship leader at his church in Middle Tennessee, Reddick says he’s witnessed God answering prayers in remarkable ways among members of his congregation. He says his calling to serve the local church remains central to his life.
“I've been seeing God answer prayers in a way that's inexplicable,” he said. “It's just hard to explain. I've seen him answer really fast to prayers that you think are just light or just, you know, just off the cuff —God is really doing things, and He's doing it fast, too. So I think for me, just praying to God and seeing Him move fast has been blowing my mind.”
Photo Credit: ©GoteeRecords
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published October 09, 2026.
