DAVID ADAMS takes a look at the song that’s become a worldwide phenomenon…
There’s been numerous collaborative artistic projects appearing online around the world as coronavirus lockdowns forced people to get creative in the virtual world but when it comes to Christian-oriented works, there’s been none bigger than the viral spread of The Blessing. The song was written in a collaborative effort involving singer-songwriter Kari Jobe, worship leader and songwriter Cody Carnes, Elevation Church pastor Steven Furtick and Elevation Worship member Chris Brown during a session in late February and was debuted at the Elevation’s Sunday service at the church’s Ballantyne campus in Charlotte, North Carolina, on 1st March. Released shortly after on YouTube (it’s had almost 20 million views since), the song was soon being covered in collaborative efforts right across the globe. In early May a version was released in the UK featuring contributions from more than 65 churches and movements and other nations soon followed suit with Christians in countries ranging from Canada, the US and Nigeria to Spain, Uzbekistan to Lebanon, Ghana, Malaysia and Australia taking part (the latter involving a collaborative effotts of some 300 churches). Jobe told Relevant Magazine that it “felt like God was giving something for people to be able to hold on to in the midst of something that was about to take place”. Brown added in another interview that it “while a lot of people are facing such a deficit of encouragement in their lives, this song comes along and is relentless in the encouragement and blessing it delivers from scripture over them, along with the assurance that God is with us and for us always.” A song, it seems, for our times.
