It's not often you leave a concert reflecting on the words of a song by a different artist. But as I exited the July 24 Steven Curtis Chapman event, the words of a Matt Redman worship song echoed through my head. Chapman opened the concert with "Blessed Be Your Name" just two months after the death of his 5-year-old daughter, Maria Sue, in a tragic accident at the family's home.

"Blessed Be Your Name" was also the first song Chapman sang May 21, the day of Maria's death, when he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to sing again. Inspired by the story of Job, at one point the lyrics repeat, "He gives and takes away."

"As I sang this song … it wasn't a song, it was a cry, a scream, a prayer," Chapman explained to the audience of nearly 5,000. "I found an amazing comfort and peace that surpasses all understanding."

Chapman also shared that after Maria's death, he'd reconsidered the words to all his songs and if he could still sing—and believe—them. Instead, losing his little girl brought the meaning of some of those songs into sharper focus. One example was "Yours," which addresses how everything in the world belongs to God.

"In this song, in particular, I had to come to a new realization," he said. "There's not an inch of creation that God doesn't look at and say 'all of that's mine.'"

As a result of that realization in conjunction with Maria's death, Chapman added a new verse to "Yours":

I've walked the valley of death's shadow
so deep and dark that I could barely breath.
I've had to let go of more than I could bear and
I've questioned everything that I believe.
Still even here in this great darkness
a comfort and a hope comes breaking through
as I can say in life or death
God we belong to you.

Throughout the concert Chapman used the circumstances of Maria's death, and the family's grieving, to present the gospel and the reason for his assurance that he'll see her in heaven. But the emotional high point of the concert came when Chapman sang "Cinderella," the song inspired by his two youngest daughters, Stevey Joy and Maria.

He explained that after losing Maria, "Cinderella" was the one song he thought he could never sing. But he realized that if he truly believed his little girl was dancing in heaven, he should be able to sing about dancing with her again. His voice cracking with emotion, he sang, "'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight/and she'll be gone." Those words, and the sincerity with which he sang them, brought tears to my eyes and a general stillness to the audience, despite the nearby noisy carnival rides.

The event felt more like a worship service than the typical energetic pop-rock concert. Chapman encouraged the audience to sing along to some well-known worship songs as well as his more reflective tunes, such as "God Is God" and "All Things New," and people raised voices and hands in response to the lyrics.

I'm a long-time fan of Steven Curtis Chapman, but in recent years, I haven't closely followed his music. After the accident, however, I felt attending his concert would be a tangible way to show my support and love for the family, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Chapman seemed to realize that might be the motivation of many in the audience, and as a result, he treated the concert as an opportunity to connect to the Christian community, stretching what was to be a 75-minute set to a full 90 minutes.

"Thank you so much for your prayers and your support," he told the crowd. "It's the reason my family is more than surviving, sure of how faithful and true our Redeemer is."

During the concert, Chapman gave updates on the rest of the family: recently-engaged Emily, 22; Caleb, 18, and Will Franklin, 17, who both played in his band; and Shaohannah, 8, and Stevey Joy, 5. He asked for continued prayer for all of them, especially his wife, Mary Beth. And scattered among the songs, he openly and candidly discussed his family's grief and healing and his own doubts and struggles.

Chapman restarted his touring schedule on July 11 to promote his new album, This Moment, after what his manager, Jim Houser, described as "much conversation, counsel, and prayer." The Chapmans are also scheduled to appear on Good Morning America (August 5) and Larry King Live (August 7) and are featured in an article in People magazine (on newsstands August 8).

As a result of intense media attention when the tragedy occurred, more than $500,000 has been donated to Maria's Miracle Fund, a part of Shaohannah's Hope, the adoption and orphan care ministry established by Steven and Mary Beth. As the Chapmans engage with the secular media, they're asking Christians to "pray that our story of faith through this will point to our Savior, will bump into people that would not normally hear or see, … [and] that God will continue to redeem this loss."

Indeed the concert, so soon after Maria's death, proved that even now God is at work. The event was bittersweet, as a grieving father came to terms with his loss. But the gospel was proclaimed with power, and I was newly convicted of my tendency to be shortsighted and lose an eternal perspective.

That night, as I listened to Chapman sing, "Blessed be your name/when I'm found in the desert place/though I walk through the wilderness/blessed be your name," I knew he wasn't just mouthing the words. He believes them wholeheartedly.

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