Josiah Queen: 3 Dove Awards and What Lifted His Depression
The singer took home three awards and, accepting Song of the Year for "Dusty Bibles," spoke about loneliness and depression.
He received the Song of the Year award at the 2026 Dove Awards and didn't talk about the trophy. Josiah Queen shared, according to JubileeCast, that what pulled him out of loneliness and depression was opening the Bible.
What he said with the mic in his hand
Queen won Song of the Year for "Dusty Bibles" at the 2026 GMA Dove Awards. In his speech he talked about seasons of loneliness and depression, and about an encounter with Scripture that, he said, changed his life. What transformed him was reading the Bible and spending time with Jesus.
"It wasn't through social media or anything like that, but by opening my Bible and spending time with Him," he said, according to The Christian Post, cited by JubileeCast. (Sígueme translation)
«Success depends on people applauding you; hope depends on Someone who doesn't change.»
Think about that for a moment. He had the award in his hand and the room was full, and he chose to tell what happened when no one was watching. The song that won is called "Dusty Bibles," a title that points to Bibles that stay closed. His speech tells what happened when he opened it.
Three awards and a story you don't see on stage
It wasn't the only trophy. "Dusty Bibles" also won Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year, and "Mt. Zion," by the same Queen, took the award for Best Recorded Music Packaging. Three recognitions in a single night.
He also recognized the songwriters and musicians in the room, and shared that he grew up following the Dove Awards. An artist shaped by Christian music who now reaches others with his own songs.
Between the feed that compares and what actually holds you
Anyone from 16 to 30 understands this without needing an explanation. You live with a screen that shows you everyone else's best moment, and in that comparison loneliness gets louder. Achievement doesn't turn it off.
Queen didn't say the Bible is a trick to feel better in two days. He said that Scripture, and time with Jesus, accompanied him in the middle of depression. Faith isn't an express therapy or a promise to stop feeling. It's the trust that God is present even when your head doesn't cooperate.
That doesn't take away the rest. If you're going through something like this, talking to a trusted adult, a health professional or your pastor is a wise step, not a lack of faith. In an emergency, call your country's emergency services.
And there's the glory. A trophy is handed out on a stage, put on a shelf and over the years almost no one remembers it. The Word remains. That's the difference between success and hope: success depends on people applauding you; hope depends on Someone who doesn't change.
"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, ESV).
There's a step that doesn't need a stage or applause. Today you can open your Bible and stay there for ten minutes: pick a psalm, read it slowly, without rushing to finish. And an honest question: when loneliness comes, what are you holding on to?
