[Verse 1]
In prisoners' chains
With bleeding stripes
Paul and Silas prayed that night
And in their pain began to sing
Their chains were loosed
And they were free
I bless Your Name
I bless Your Name
I give You honor, give You praise
You are the Life, the Truth, the Way
I bless Your Name
I bless Your Name
Some midnight hour
If you should find
You're in a prison in your mind
Reach out and praise
Defy those chains
And they will fall
In Jesus' Name
We bless Your Name
We bless Your Name
We give You honor, give You praise
You are the Life, the Truth, the Way
We bless Your Name
We bless Your Name
You are the Life, the Truth, the Way
We bless Your Name
We bless Your Name
Lyrics Page
I Bless Your Name
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Sep 17, 2026 updated
Hiding Place album
Verified editorial review
Song Meaning
Selah returns to Paul and Silas' prison cell in "I Bless Your Name," keeping the physical details of their situation front and center rather than softened — "in prisoners' chains, with bleeding stripes, Paul and Silas prayed that night." The song doesn't rush past the suffering to get to the miracle; both stay in view together.
"And in their pain began to sing, their chains were loosed and they were free" ties the physical release directly to the act of worship that preceded it in the biblical account, without over-explaining the connection between the two. The bridge extends the same pattern to a listener's own situation — "some midnight hour, if you should find you're in a prison in your mind, reach out and praise" — applying an ancient jailbreak to a private, internal kind of confinement instead.
The shift from "I bless Your Name" to "we bless Your Name" moves the song from one couple's testimony to a shared declaration, closing on "You are the Life, the Truth, the Way" as the reason that specific act of praise made sense in the first place.
Lyrics Verified by Editorial Team