Sacred Songs: 'Blessed Be Your Name' is a worship song born from tragedy

The song invites believers to praise God in both joy and sorrow.

“Blessed Be Your Name” is one of the standout worship songs of the past two decades — simple to sing, rhythmically stirring and deeply moving.

Anne and I first heard it 20 years ago at a youth church event, where the whole room seemed to come alive with it.

So I was surprised to learn the song was born out of heartbreak.

Matt and Beth Redman wrote it in response to the tragedy of 9/11 and the fall of the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City — a reminder that worship often rises from the ashes of sorrow.

Our worship team opened Sunday’s service with “Blessed Be Your Name,” and it was pure joy to sing.

Matt and Beth Redman wrote the song in late 2001, and it gained widespread popularity when the South African band Tree63 released its version in 2003. That cover climbed to No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard Christian Songs chart and stayed on the chart for 68 weeks. It was a big hit.

Here is Tree63’s version. It’s a bit faster paced than Matt Redman’s version:

Anne reminded me that we first heard the song in the early 2000s at Teens Encounter Christ (TEC), a twice-a-year weekend retreat our church hosted near Minneapolis. All three of our children attended TEC multiple times, and “Blessed Be Your Name” became a powerful anthem during the closing worship service when parents were invited to join.

The song was inspired by the Book of Job

Following the 9/11 attacks, the Redmans sought to express both lament and praise in a time of deep national grief. They drew inspiration from the Book of Job and the biblical call to trust God in all circumstances.

The core message of “Blessed Be Your Name” is this: We choose to bless God’s name — praise him — not only in joy, but also in suffering.

Click here to read the lyrics.

As the song says, we bless God in times of abundance and in times of trial and loss. Regardless of the season, the chorus repeats: “Blessed be the name of the Lord…”

The bridge intensifies the message, emphasizing that worship is a decision, not just a feeling:

“You give and take away… my heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be Your name.”

That echoes Job 1:21, where Job, after devastating loss, says: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

King David, who knew his share of heartbreak, wrote something similar in Psalm 34:1: “I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

Every time I sing “Blessed Be Your Name,” I’m reminded that worship isn’t dependent on how I feel — it’s a response to who God is.

Here’s Matt Redman singing his song:

Since its release, “Blessed Be Your Name” has been sung in churches around the world, becoming a global anthem of resilient faith.

Here is Christ is Our Rock Church in the United Kingdom enthusiastically singing the song — a reminder that hundreds of millions of Christians are simultaneously worshipping Jesus every Sunday.