A Navy SEAL veteran was terrified of Jesus since his childhood but everything changed after he heard the song, “10,000 Reasons” by Matt Redman.
Navy SEAL
Eddie Penney wasn’t a man of faith but has always been curious about Jesus. When he was just 7 years old, while his parents were going through a divorce, he had an encounter with Jesus in his bedroom.
“When I wake up. for some reason, I looked over and I see Christ. I see Jesus. I knew who Jesus was. My mom never took me to church a lot, I went a couple of times but I knew who Jesus was… He was standing in the middle of the room and He was transparent like I can see my bookshelf that was behind Him and He just stood there. He had a glowing light to Him, long brown hair, beautiful face, like just perfect,” he recalled.

Terrified of Jesus
He was not afraid of Him and he just soaked in His presence in that moment. But when he disappeared, he felt fear and he became terrified of Jesus.
“To me, Jesus became the boogeyman. I want nothing to do with Him… This hurts to talk about. I was scared to death of Him. I slept under my covers until I was a sophomore in High School.”
His fear went on for years until he attended a men’s Christian gathering at the age of 32. By this time, he is already serving his country as a Navy SEAL and had been through so much. While at that conference, he heard the pastor preach about the grace and love of God.

Shawn Ryan Clips [@ShawnRyanClips]. Eddie Penney. YouTube, December 31, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGt1GQLMbxI
10,000 Reasons
Eddie also saw men crying, he didn’t understand at the time but he was curious about what were they experiencing. The following morning, he went out before the sun rises and prayed for the first time.
“I said my first words to God… I was talking to Him like He’s my Father. And I just start talking, I was like, ‘I don’t know You. You know my past, You know how You scared me.'”
As he was praying, the sun rose up and the rays warmed his body. That day, he went on to attend the men’s conference but this time, there’s this desire in him for somebody to pray for him. At one point a young man came up to him and prayed for him.
“As soon as He put his hand on me and he started praying, I lost it. It was starting to make sense.”
That same night, he also heard Matt Redman’s “10,000 Reason” for the very first time and the song pierced his heart.
“The beat of that song and the words of that song rocked my body. It was different, something changed internally.”
That was the beginning of his journey toward his faith in God. Today, he is married and with five children. Eddie also wrote the book “Unafraid,” to share his testimony with others.
Read also: AUSTRALIAN NAVY VETERAN BEGS GOD FOR FORGIVENESS FOR WHAT HE DID WHILE ON TOUR
Reference: YouTube | Shawn Ryan Clips
Header Image: Shawn Ryan Clips [@ShawnRyanClips]. Eddie Penney. YouTube, December 31, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGt1GQLMbxI