Rebecca was born in Sydney, Australia, to David and Helen Smallbone. She is the oldest of seven children, and currently lives in Los Angeles with Jacob. Rebecca took the name St. James from her grandmother, as it was her maiden name. Her album ‘’God’’ was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1995. Also, ‘’Pray ‘’ was certified Gold by the RIAA on the last week of September 1999.
Rebecca's musical career began in 1990 at age 13 when she began opening shows for CCM (Christian Contemporary Music) artist Carman during his Australian tour which was promoted by her father's company, David Smallbone Promotions. That same year she recorded her first album, Refresh My Heart. In 1991 she moved to the United States upon signing with ForeFront Records, and took her stage name at the label's request.
In 1999 Rebecca received a Grammy Award for her album ''Pray'' in the Best Rock Gospel Album category. Rebecca is the eighth Australian artist or group to win a Grammy Award.
In 2003 she played the part of Maggie (Mary Magdalene) in the !HERO rock opera.
Rebecca is an open supporter of teenage sexual abstinence, and has become an unofficial spokesperson for True Love Waits. The single "Wait for Me", from her 2000 album Transform, encourages waiting to have sex until after marriage. Later that year it also became the title and focus of a 46-city tour. James wrote the song herself on a tour bus, and it became instantly popular. The song was also used on the TV program The O.C. Rebecca's first book, titled Wait for Me: Rediscovering the Joy of Purity in Romance, was published in 2002 and further addressed the issue.
In November of 2005, Rebecca released her highly anticipated album If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something. After not putting out a new pop/rock album since 2000, this album combines Rebecca's overall versatility in vocal and song writing to the finest degree.
Rebecca sang a song on the 2005 soundtrack, Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia called "Lion" for which she won a Dove Award.
A Special Edition of If I Had One Chance To Tell You Something was released in November 2006 and included two acoustic tracks and other special features.
In 2007. Rebecca released her live CD\DVD aLIVE In Florida featuring some of her No. 1 hits as well as fan favorites.
In 2008, two compilation albums, The Ultimate Collection (Double Disc) and Greatest Hits featuring some of her biggest hits were released. The same year she also released a new book called Pure: A 90-Day Devotional for the Mind, Body, & Spirit which broke into Top 10 at #9 on the CBA bestseller's list in Feb 2009. Pure is also nominated among the Top 3 books of 2009 for the youth/teen market.
The September 09' release of Loved, (Hachette/Faithwords) and the fall national film release of Sarah’s Choice capped 2009 as one of Rebecca’s most creatively diverse years.
Blessed Be Your Name
Rebecca St. James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name
And blessed be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name
Every blessing You pour out I'll
Turn back to praise
And when the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's "all as it should be"
Blessed be You name
And blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name
Every blessing You pour out I'll
Turn back to praise
And when the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name
I will bless Your name
Every blessing You pour out I'll
Turn back to praise
And when the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name
In "Blessed Be Your Name," Rebecca St. James praises God's name and acknowledges His provision and presence in good times and bad. The song begins by thanking the Lord for His abundant blessings in the land of plenty where His streams overflow with abundance. St. James acknowledges that even in the desert, when times are tough, God's name is still blessed because He is with us. She recognizes the season of suffering and hardship that may be ahead, but she trusts God through it all. The lyrics proclaim that every blessing He pours out is a reason to praise Him, and when darkness surrounds us, we can still say that the name of the Lord is blessed. She knows that God gives and takes away, but she's willing to surrender to Him and praise His name no matter what happens.
The song first appeared in 2002 on the album "Worship God," and it quickly caught on with many Christian listeners, reaching No. 5 on the US Billboard Christian chart. "Blessed Be Your Name" has since become one of the most beloved and frequently performed worship songs in the world due to its simple yet profound lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Blessed be Your name
Praise Your name
In the land that is plentiful
In the abundant land
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Where Your plentiful resources flow
And blessed be Your name
And let Your name be praised
When I'm found in the desert place
When I'm in a barren place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Although I journey through a desolate area
Every blessing You pour out I'll Turn back to praise
I'll always praise You for every blessing You give me
And when the darkness closes in, Lord Still I will say
Even when everything seems bleak, I'll still praise You
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Praise the name of the Lord
When the sun's shining down on me
When everything is going well for me
When the world's "all as it should be"
When everything is going according to plan
On the road marked with suffering
On the path of hardship
Though there's pain in the offering
Although the act of giving may be difficult
You give and take away
You provide and remove
My heart will choose to say
My heart will always proclaim
Lord, blessed be Your name
Lord, your name is worthy of praise
Blessed be Your glorious name
Praise Your glorious name
Contributed by Nicholas T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Michael Paterson
Rebecca St James a beautiful humble star who's love for Jesus is inspiring. Thank you Jesus for our sister Rebecca.
Davi Garcia
Parabéns Rebecca ,por essa linda canção, que é uma oração e que Jesus continue abençoando cada dia , para que vc tenha muitas outras canções como essa que acalenta nossos corações
DISCO LIVRO E FÉ
Olá! Fiz um vídeo sobre Rebecca. Falo de um cd dela. Fica o convite.
Skysunwater Trees
Blessed be your name Jesus! Ministry in song, a wonderful conduit of God's love and mercy flowing, thank you Jesus.
Johan Jansszen
Rebecca is an excellent performer and her band is just top; a positive performer with a message!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kenneth Cava
I have my highs in life. I have my lows. Through it all, I proclaim Blessed Be the Name of the Lord!
Anoop Mammen
this song is something. awesome voice. awesome lead. awesome atmosphere.. awesome drums.. Gods name be blessed for he is perfect AMen
YesYou123333
The part where the crowd sings, "Blessed be Your Name" in unison brings tears to my eyes. I look forward to when Christ returns and there won't just be thousands singing this but millions upon millions.
Mael*Mauro*Mauz
prophetic :)
Stacy Wilson
Amen,, beautiful lyrics a beautiful song