When Music Becomes Prayer: Dolly Parton, “There Was Jesus,” and the Strength in Waiting
Introduction
When artists speak through song, sometimes the melody carries what words cannot. Dolly Parton’s rendition of “There Was Jesus” is one such moment — a song that echoes in our waiting, our brokenness, our hope. Today, as she faces health challenges, that recording feels less like performance and more like confession. In every line — “in the waiting, in the healing and the hurting” — we hear both her story and ours. What happens when faith becomes the thread we follow through uncertainty? That’s the story behind the song, and behind the woman.
The Origin of “There Was Jesus”
“There Was Jesus” is a duet by Zach Williams and Dolly Parton, released on October 3, 2019, as part of Williams’ album Rescue Story. The song looks back over years of life without always knowing God was present — “when I had no idea that God was in the moment” — and acknowledges that, in retrospect, He was there all along. Dolly’s inclusion brings a weight of testimony: she’s lived long enough to sense the hidden threads, the unseen presence.
She once said she cried while recording because she “felt God in the room.” That statement hints at surrender in song: a moment when the divine and the human meet, raw and unguarded. The lyrics speak of brokenness, waiting, searching, hurt — landscapes familiar to anyone who’s walked seasons of uncertainty.
Health, Loss, and Songs That Carry Weight
In 2025, Dolly Parton postponed her Las Vegas residency, citing “health challenges” as a reason to delay the shows. Her sister also asked for prayers for her well-being, noting Dolly “hasn’t been feeling her best lately.” Though the details remain private, her team confirmed medical procedures were involved.
This moment comes after profound grief: Dolly’s husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, passed away earlier in 2025. She has spoken of feeling his presence, and of carrying loss even as life pushes forward. She remains a person of faith, often writing about trusting God’s presence even when circumstances are heavy.
These realities — aging, health, grief — are not new to her. In past seasons, Dolly endured severe health struggles: in her 30s, she battled endometriosis, collapsing onstage and eventually needing surgery and a partial hysterectomy. She has also navigated the private care of her husband, often behind the scenes, while maintaining a public image of resilience.
In this light, “There Was Jesus” becomes more than a song—it becomes a vessel. The lines that describe God’s unseen presence in our hard times now resonate not just theoretically but experientially in Dolly’s life: waiting through pain, mourning, health uncertainty. The melody becomes prayer, testimony, witness.
The Power of Music in Times of Waiting
Songs like “There Was Jesus” remind us that our struggles are never outside of God’s reach. The lyrics invite reflection: when life felt obscure, when hope seemed distant, was He still there? For listeners, especially when someone beloved is struggling, the song becomes a companion — a way to lean into faith when words seem too shallow.
For Dolly, recording that song with tears speaks to a lived faith: no perfect certainty, but a trust anchored in memory and longing. The fact that she sang it isn’t just because she can; it’s because she has wanted to lean into what sustains her.
When we listen now, our prayer for her is both personal and universal: that in waiting she senses presence; in weakness she finds strength; in uncertainty, assurance. And that the song she once sang into a studio becomes a lifeline for many tonight.
“There Was Jesus” shows how music can take us into the depths — into waiting, into pain, into quiet surrender — and yet carry us beyond with presence. For Dolly Parton, facing health challenges, grief, and life’s fragility, the song becomes more than art: it becomes worship, remembrance, and hope. In each echo of the chorus, we can join in her longing, asking not for answers but for presence. Because sometimes the greatest prayers are those we sing when words fall short.