Ezer Magazine

An interview with Grammy Award-winning group Hillsong Worship on their new album Take Heart (Again) released October 30.

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In their newest album, Hillsong Worship brought together all three worship expressions of Hillsong Church (Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United, and Hillsong Young & Free), bringing a brand-new album of familiar yet newly potent declarations of Christ’s praise. 

According to Brooke Ligertwood, “I think songs occupy such a special place in our lives. Certainly, in the lives of believers, songs are memorials to things God has done. They are evidence and testimony that God is moving, right now.”

“In a season like this, when we are coming together just like every other local church to pull off services week after week, we’ve revisited a lot of the declarations and confessions that have been a part of our legacy of song,” she added.

To decide which songs to add to the album, the artists choose songs that could be sung as confessions, ” critical confessions about Christ’s Lordship, about peace, about stillness in the presence of God, and about our hope being none but Jesus,” Ligertwood shared.

The Motivation Behind the New Album➜

Hillsong member Joel Houston chimed in, sharing part of the motivation behind the album was the season the world is experiencing as a whole.

“We thought it would be really awesome to pull together on a project, specific to this season that would be a blessing to people and would help them in some way. That’s kind of where this thing started,” he shared.

“You know, people are suffering in different ways with different things,” he added, referencing the unusualness of 2020. “However, in the midst of it, God is faithful, and his grace is good enough for every single person—it’s sufficient. So to say something like take heart, the response might be, “yeah well didn’t we sing that song like however long ago on the aftermath album, we took heart then”, and it’s like, no, no, it’s not just a once-off, it’s every day. Take heart again, breathe again, trust God again, take another step again, believe again, turn up again, love your neighbor again, be kind to people again, be patient again, all that good stuff.”

However, in the midst of it, God is faithful, and his grace is good enough for every single person—it’s sufficient.

Joel Houston

A Reminder of Gods Consistency and Faithfulness ➜

Laura Toggs, another contributor to the album shared that they want the album to resonate as a reminder of God’s consistency and faithfulness, no matter the circumstances.

“I get overwhelmed thinking about the world we live in and how tumultuous it is, how it’s so volatile,” Toggs shared. “Anything could happen and nothing would actually surprise us because the times are so weird and so crazy. But, I love the fact that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So, when I think about these songs, and people hearing these songs for the very first time and having moments where they encounter the presence of God and the saving grace of Jesus, it fills me with so much hope.”

So, when I think about these songs, and people hearing these songs for the very first time and having moments where they encounter the presence of God and the saving grace of Jesus, it fills me with so much hope

Laura Toggs

Ligertwood, who has been with Hillsong Worship since 2006, shared that she hopes these words and melodies that “may be familiar to you “hit different” this time.

“May they be EXACTLY the promises you needed to remember, and may they be propelled into fulfillment and fruition in your spirit as you worship Jesus, in whom every promise is Yes and Amen,” she added.

What to Expect on the Album ➜

The 12-track compilation features some of the group’s most beloved praise and worship songs, which is a great album to keep on repeat, especially in moments of uncertainty.

“Ultimately, the album title encapsulates our prayer that we would take heart as believers in this season,” Ligertwood added. “That as we read the next headline, or receive the next report, whether good or bad, we would take heart again, put our hope in Jesus again, and confess his Lordship again. He has been faithful in the past and He will be faithful again. So we can take heart (again).”

This album includes older songs like “Hosanna,” “Eagle’s Wings,” “Broken Vessels,” all the way through to more recent favorites like “Who You Say I Am,” “New Wine,” “Still,” and more.

You can check out their newest album on Spotify here and connect with them on Instagram here.