(Photo : Hillsong Live)

The name Hillsong Live is synonymous with anthemic worship ballads.  Most of us have sung our hearts out to "Shout to the Lord," "The Potter's Hands," "Lord, I Give You My Heart,""Worthy is the Lamb," "Hosanna" and "Mighty to Save."  However, such classics have a way of towering over the rest of their songs extending over a massive catalog of 22 live worship albums.  In this article, we want to unearth some of their worship ballads that have been often overlooked.   Save for their latest offering "Glorious Ruins" which is still too new to be overlooked, here is a look at 10 of Hillsong's hidden gems taken from their annual Hillsong Live albums only (this excludes all albums from Hillsong United, Hillsong Young, Free,Hillsong Chapel and their other side projects).  

10.  "It's Your Love" (Songwriter: Mia Feldes; Worship Leader: Darlene Zschech) From 2009's "Faith, Hope and Love"

Here's a dynamic combination: Darlene Zschech and Mia Fieldes.  If you ever wonder why New Life Worship, Matt Maher, Kari Jobe and FFH are all fighting to get a Mia Fieldes' song on their records, here is the reason why:  Fieldes has a way of making a Biblical event come alive in a worship setting.  Here the crucifixion of Jesus Christ unfolds before us as Darlene Zschech incarnates every syllable of this explosive exposition of the Cross of Jesus Christ.  And by the time Zschech shouts out John 3:16 we are already there at the foot of the Savior's cross.

9. "I Desire Jesus" (Songwriter: Scott Ligertwood; Worship Leader: Darlene Zschech) From 2012's "Cornerstone"

Worship is simply to put into expression our desire for Jesus.  Scott Ligertwood (husband of Brook Fraser) has captured this desire for Jesus in this beautiful crafted hymn like worship ballad.  Yet, this is more than maudlin set in song; throughout the verses Ligertwood expounds on why Jesus is worth savoring.  One of the reasons is at his second coming Jesus is going to be the desire of nations.  Few (if any) worship songs have ever made the connection between savoring Jesus and eschatology. Further, Zschech's delivery is just stellar:  thoughtfully measured yet passionate expressive. "I Desire Jesus" is an often overlooked gem tugged criminally as a bonus track on last year's "Cornerstone."  

8. "With All I Am" (Songwriter: Reuben Morgan; Worship Leader: Darlene Zschech) From 2004's "For All You've Done"

Hillsong's 2004 release "For All You've Done" was such a best seller that it debut at number 1 on the Australian pop album chart, a fleet never accomplished by a Christian record, lest a worship one.  "With All I Am" is a snippet of why people flock to purchase this record.  Piquant worship leaders would be wise enough to take a lesson from Zschech:  notice how she gets the congregation involved in the song and how she churns their attention into devotion for Jesus.  It's no wonder why Zschech has fronted so many of Hillsong's worship albums.    

7. "I Will Run to You" (Songwriter and Worship Leader: Darlene Zschech) From 1996's "God is in the House"

Some preachers can take the Bible and make it come alive for us.  By the end of the sermon we have a crystal clear understanding of not only what the Bible passage means but also how we are to respond to God.  Darlene Zschech does what the best of preachers can ever dream of except that she does it here in song.  Taking Zechariah 4:6, she expounds it, applies it and draws us to Jesus Christ and by the time the song is done we have met the Lord in worship.

6.  "Like Incense/Sometimes By Step" (Songwriters: Brooke Ligertwood, David Strausser & Rich Mullins)  From 2010's "A Beautiful Exchange"

When Darlene Zschech was interviewed by Breathecast earlier in the year, she was asked, what her favorite songs were.  Without a wink she responded, "Anything by Brooke." It doesn't take a genius to figure out why: while many worship song eschew the notion of sin, Brooke Ligertwood (Fraser) doesn't.  She is never afraid of tackling anything the Bible majors in.  Waxing poetic eloquence with Biblical acumen, she renders one of the most moving lines about not hurting Jesus with our sins:  "My heart is set on keeping Your decrees/Please still my anxious urge toward rebellion."

5. "Through It All" (Songwriter: Reuben Morgan; Worship Leader: Darlene Zschech) From 2002's "Blessed"

Some worship songs are so generic that they ricochet off our memory the moment the music dies down.  Not so with "Through It All."  Singing this worship ballad transports us to the time when Moses asks to see the glory of the Lord.  Hiding in the cleft of the rock while the Lord passes by, you can imagine how Moses' heart leaps with joy, fear, anticipation as he saw the hand of the Lord covering the rock.  When Darlene Zschech and her team sing, "You see me through the seasons/Cover me with your hand/And lead me in your righteousness/And I look to you" you can't help but feel your heart leap like Moses' heart did.  

4. "I Simply Live for You" (Songwriter: Russell Fragar; Worship Leader: Miriam Webster) From 2000's "For This Cause"

It is a tall order to live for somebody else.  If your raison detre is to live to please another human being, you will be devastated.  This is because human beings are fallible and sinful; we are bound to disappoint others.  So when Miriam Webster sings about living for Jesus; it's a bold and audacious statement of faith.  This is what makes Hillsong's worship ballads so uplifting: they are not afraid of not mincing their words when it comes to the greatness of our Lord.

3. "Just Let Me Say" (Songwriter: Geoff Bullock; Worship Leaders: Debbie Steinhardt & Geoff Bullock) From 1994's "People Just Like Us"

Some of the most effective songs that move from ear to the heart do not need frills or the trendiest adornment.  "Just Let Me Say" is a simple love song to Jesus coming from the pen of Hillsong's first worship pastor Geoff Bullock (who also wrote "The Power of Your Love").  The elegance of the heart-etched melody with lots of memorable lines makes this one of their best ballads. To the skeptic the line: "let me find you in the desert/till this land is holy ground" is mawkish hyperbole; but to the heart who belongs to Jesus, this is love in its purest.   

2. "Oceans Will Part" (Songwriter: Ben Fielding; Worship Leader: Annie Garratt) From 2006's "Mighty to Save"

"Mighty to Save" is one of Hillsong's monumental records that features some of their career defining staples such as the title cut and "At the Cross."  What is interesting is that the co-writer of "Mighty to Save" Ben Fielding has another worship ballad "Oceans Will Part" on the same record that has somehow been shied from the limelight. While many songs may exalt the strength of God,  but when Annie Garratt sings about how God can still part the oceans today, you can sense how she throws her entire life out in order to affirm this truth.  The God exalting words and Garratt's dynamic delivery make this an explosive display of what worship can do.   

1."This Kingdom" (Songwriter: Geoff Bullock; Worship Leader: Darlene Zschech) From 1995's "Friends in High Places"

"This Kingdom" is so Jesus.  This is the type of song Jesus would sing.  One of our Lord's major themes Jesus loves to dwell on during his earthly ministry is the kingdom of God (heaven).  Jesus did not just come to save sinners; he came to establish his kingdom through the redemption of sinners.  By singing this song in churches we are making what Jesus kept central central in our worship.  And don't let anyone tell you that Hillsong's worship ballads are all individualistic love songs; "This Kingdom" speaks of something far greater and glorious than we could ever imagine.