The Gateway Church worship leader gives pure voice to a pure heart.
Contributed By Theresa Tan
The haunting desperation of “You Are For Me” doesn’t leave one’s head easily. The worship song by Kari Jobe, worship leader at Gateway Church in Texas, was penned during a broken period in her life when she cried out to God that the only way she could carry on was to confess that He was for her.
Such intimacy and truthfulness are the irresistible ingredients of this eponymous album, her third studio album, released in 2009. Jobe has been worship leader at Gateway Church since 2001 and has recorded seven other albums with the Gateway Worship team.
The 30-year-old’s voice is impossibly sweet, a rare audio gem that is pretty when put to work on radio-friendly songs like “I’m Singing,” moving in the simple “Healer” and astounding when delivering musically complex pieces like Jennie Lee Riddle’s “Revelation Song.” “I’m Singing” hit number 13 on the Billboard Christian charts, while “Healer” made it to number 33 on the Billboard AC Inspirational charts. The album made it to number 1 on iTunes in 2009. The Spanish version of this same album, titled El Canto, scored Jobe a Dove Award—a Grammy award for Christian recording artists.
Kari Jobe is a carefully assembled 12-song album that easily pleases with light, breezy tunes like “Everyone Needs A Little” and “Joyfully” along with worshipful odes like “Beautiful” and “No Sweeter Name.” But the piece de resistance is “You Are For Me”: put it on during your quiet time, and see if God’s presence doesn’t come and envelope you.
Ultimately, beyond the talent and accolades, it is Jobe’s deep, raw love for the Lord that draws you in, and keeps you in that secret place of unadulterated worship.
