[Music] Rapha – Stephen McWhirter & Jason Clayborn

Cogito July 8, 2022 3 min read 0

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“Rapha,” the impassioned new single from acclaimed singer/songwriter and worship leader Stephen McWhirter and GRAMMY® and Stellar Award nominee Jason Clayborn, is now available from Lula Street Records (Integrity Music). Penned by the duo and produced by McWhirter, “Rapha” is an anthemic celebration of the name and nature of God the Healer.

“The heart behind the song is a desire to strengthen our own trust in God as Healer—not just physically, but also emotionally and relationally—in our churches, in this country and in the world,” shares McWhirter. “Having been radically healed from a drug addiction myself, I know God heals. However, my dad died of cancer and didn’t experience healing here on earth, so what do I do with that? We keep believing God, despite what we see with our own eyes. We keep worshipping Him through the trials, because either now or in eternity, He will keep His promise to be Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals.”

“We pray that when others hear ‘Rapha’ they are stirred deep inside with real Hope, and a knowing that God hasn’t changed,” Clayborn adds. “He is still the God who heals. He is still healing marriages, relationships and diseases. He is real!”

Drawing from a range of classic rock, Motown, pop and Gospel grooves, Stephen McWhirter and Jason Clayborn’s signature soul-drenched sound has been met with critical acclaim, carving a unique space in today’s worship landscape. The duo’s 2020 debut, Choir Sessions (feat. Jason Clayborn & The Atmosphere Changers), was followed by last year’s full-length sophomore set, Highest Praise. McWhirter and Clayborn also wrote and recorded the Christmas anthem “Born A King,” a single featured in 2020’s Christmas special for the blockbuster series The Chosen.

“Proverbs 27:17 says, ‘As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another,’ and that is exactly what God has done with us,” explains Clayborn of the duo’s mission. “We come from totally different church music backgrounds—me from the Gospel world and Stephen from the worship and contemporary Christian sphere. However, God has taught us both how to honor and encourage each other without changing the perspectives we bring to the table.”

Stephen McWhirter is a touring worship leader, producer, speaker and author whose powerful testimony of divine deliverance from addiction is the cornerstone of his ministry platform. A founding member of the former worship collective Iron Bell Music, he is also a songwriter with Essential Music Publishing/Sony PLG and a Lula Street (Integrity Music) recording artist.

Tyscot recording artist Jason Clayborn—a GRAMMY® and Stellar Award nominee; Dove and BMI Music Award winner; and former member of the renowned hip-hop/gospel group The Righteous Riders—has penned hit songs for such artists as Bishop Hezekiah Walker and VaShawn Mitchell, among others. Clayborn and his choir, The Atmosphere Changers, were showcased on GRAMMY® nominated rapper Jack Harlow’s 2020 single “Same Guy” (feat. Adam Levine). Clayborn was recently honored with a solo Stellar Award nomination, alongside three nominations for Jason Clayborn & The Atmosphere Changers.