Popular Worship Songs From The Early 2000s

It’s time to take a stroll down memory lane. It’s time to reminisce on the songs that brought many of us deeper in the Lord and still pack such an incredible punch. We’ll roll through some of the most popular worship songs from the early 2000s. We want this to be more than remembering great songs, though. We desire this to be a time of reflecting on what God did in you through these songs. The goal of this blog is for us to think about the times of our lives when we leaned on these songs to get us through and celebrate where the Lord has brought us. 

For many of us, these songs didn’t lose their power in the mid-2000s. Many of these songs are still our anthems today. Anthems of truth that we’ve been declaring for the last 20 years. These songs are Ebenezers in our lives. Milestones that point back to the miraculous moments when God showed up in our lives in powerful ways.

We’d love to hear from you; what were the popular worship songs from the early 2000s that carried you through those seasons? Please share with us at the bottom of this post.

Popular Worship Songs From The Early 2000s

1. The Stand by Hillsong UNITED

I would imagine that 90% of you reading this blog would have guessed that this song would rank as, if not the most popular, one of the most popular worship songs from the early 2000s. My youth group played it almost every week for what felt like five years. And it’s so easy to become blind to a song’s beauty and power when things become familiar or overplayed. But what I love about this song, and why it became an anthem for a generation, is because of what it declares. To continually find our way back to the place of choosing Jesus and giving ourselves entirely to Him.

Watch the tutorials for “The Stand” here!

2. With Everything by Hillsong UNITED

In the same way that you can’t have a popular worship songs from the early 2000s list without The Stand, you can’t have a popular worship songs from the early 2000s without “With Everything.” Kind of similar to The Stand, With Everything is a powerful declaration song of giving our all to Jesus. Dedicating our lives, no matter the cost, to the Lord.

Jesus continually calls us to take up our cross to follow Him. We do that by laying down our plans, thoughts, agendas, and dreams to take up the plans, thoughts, agendas, and dreams of the Kingdom. In a way, the image the lyrics paint of taking up the agenda of Heaven ultimately gives so much value to how the bridge portrays Christ as King. The King, the ruler, the one whose ways we follow when we have surrendered our life to their rulership. The beauty of the way of this King is His way will always lead to flourishing and the furthering of love on the earth.

Watch the tutorials for “With Everything” here!

3. How Great is Our God by Chris Tomlin

It’s so easy to get consumed by coming to Jesus with our requests and needs. In fact, there have been many seasons of my life where that has been the exclusive conversation I’ve had with God. But when we get consumed by our wants and needs, it’s easy to replace faith with fear. Replacing hope for doubt, worry, and living unsatisfied is inevitable when our attention is centered on what we need. But when we force ourselves to look back at all God has done and how good He is, it reshapes our confidence and how we live. That’s what I love about this song. The whole thing is simply about the goodness of the Lord and how beautiful He is. This song is about loving on Jesus, simply to love on Jesus.

Watch the tutorials for “How Great is Our God” here!

4. Here I Am to Worship by Tim Hughes

I WAS SHOCKED when I realized this song was written in the early 2000s. This song has been such a pillar in the lexicon of worship songs that to think there was ever a day it wasn’t around is pretty wild. Recentering is such an essential practice in life. It’s so easy for us to get caught up in the motions of life. Often when things become rote and repetitive, we miss their purpose. The time of worship in our services is to do precisely that, worship. I think what’s allowed this song to become one of the most popular worship songs from the early 2000s and one of the biggest worship songs of all time is the simple, straightforward language it uses. I am here to worship. I’m here to declare that He is God and incredible to me personally.

Watch the tutorials for “Here I Am to Worship” here!

5. Revelation Song by Jennie Lee Riddle

I remember vividly when this song came out and the first time I heard it. It was indeed one of my first encounters with a song where I could profoundly sense the presence of God. It was a feeling of reverence, awe, and greater depth in the Lord. And in a way, this song initiated a new sense of depth in our relationship with Jesus for so many.

Watch the tutorials for “Revelation Song” here!

6. Hosanna by Hillsong UNITED

The common thread through these popular worship songs from the early 2000s is adoration & purification, and this song keeps up with that message. Hossana was yet another song that recentered our attention on the Lord and called us into a deeper level of devotion. But uniquely, what I love about this song is the specific story it pulls from in Matthew 21. In a way, the way it’s written almost puts us in the same place as someone who was there that day, as Jesus rode on the back of that donkey and the people were proclaiming their need for the Messiah to come and save them. Declaring for the Messiah to come and be a healer, bring freedom, and infuse their lives with the Kingdom.

Watch the tutorials for “Hosanna” here!

7. How He Loves by John Mark McMillan

Writing out the name of this song sends me back to being in a youth group surrounded by a sea of my peers, caught up in the wonder that God loves me. Although it is such a simple statement, this song had a unique way of conveying it. The lyrics and arrangement brought so much color to a phrase that, until that point, was so easy to let come from our mouths without fully filtering through our hearts and awe. Before we wrap up talking about this song, we have to mention the sloppy wet controversy. I wonder how much time, collectively, the body of Christ has wasted thinking about such a funny thing.

Watch the tutorials for “How He Loves” here!

8. You Are Good by Israel Houghton

First, we must quickly mention how much fun this song is to play this song. Second, I’ve always loved the celebratory nature of declaring the goodness of the Lord. This should be a celebration! The goodness of the Lord is something to be excited about. When you think about it, the goodness of God builds our faith and peace. So, of course, we, as the people of God, should sing a song that places us in that posture. Overall, Israel Houghton has done an incredible job of bringing this specific kind of spirit and intention to all the songs he writes.

Watch the tutorials for “You Are Good” here!

9. From the Inside Out by Hillsong UNITED

First, like “You Are Good,” we will quickly mention the iconic electric guitar lead line in the intro. Truly, it’s safe to say that every worship guitar player knows how to play this line. Furthermore, not only does every guitar player know how to play this lead line, but effectively everyone reading this post about the popular worship songs from the early 2000s, in general, knows this song. It was another one of our anthems at the time it was released.

“A thousand times I’ve failed, still your mercy remains. And should I stumble again, I’m caught in your grace.” Talk about a way to bring people into the beauty of who God is. Starting this song by declaring, with so much confidence, a fact about the Lord that I still find myself wrestling to believe is valid from time to time because, WOW, it’s so profound. That’s the entirety of this song. Profound statement after profound statement of who God is. How could the cry of our hearts not come to bring Him praise after thinking about how deep His grace is?

Watch the tutorials for “From the Inside Out” here!

10. Your Love Never Fails by Jesus Culture

Like “From the Inside Out,” this song starts with a profound truth. “Nothing can separate, even when I ran away.” This song was released at the beginning of a new wave in the worship community where the focus of our songs started to become more and more centered on the mindblowing reality that God truly, genuinely, deeply loves us and longs for friendship with us—an interconnected life. And when hard things come and the oceans rage, we don’t need to worry because we know He loves us and makes all things work together for our good. It’s a song decorated with truths; all hinged on the relational side of the Lord.

I know for me; this song was an anthem when that side of my relationship with the Lord first began and continues to point me to the initial first love days. In the realm of popular worship songs from the early 2000s, this song was definitely at the top of my most-played lists.

Watch the tutorials for “Your Love Never Fails” here!

These are just a few songs that shaped our lives.

These popular worship songs from the early 2000s have not only shaped our lives but have become timeless anthems of truth and declarations. They carried us through seasons and milestones, pointing us back to the miraculous moments when God showed up in powerful ways. As we reflect on these songs, let’s take some time to get caught up in the goodness of the Lord and celebrate how far He has brought us. These songs are Ebenezers & my prayer for you is that in the midst of whatever you’re walking through right now  (pain, doubt, fear), use these songs that have carried you through before to carry you around again.

What popular worship songs from the early 2000s were your anthem? Please share it with us in the comments below!