Gateway Worship member Josiah Funderburk was inspired by a recent sermon his pastor preached. During the message, the pastor talked about how our very bodies are handcrafted by the Creator to be instruments of praise. Building off this idea, Funderburk came up with the line, “I am an instrument of exultation…,” a weighty thought for a yet unwritten song.
Together with Gateway’s Zac Rowe and frequent collaborator Abbie Gamboa, Funderburk’s sweeping declaration was fleshed out during a writing session.
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“It was a really fun thing to chase down because it did allow us to go in this poetic direction with the lyric and kind of explore that thought of how we were literally created for this purpose. We were created to give God praise,” Rowe reflects. “I love that when we worship God, we can think about how great He is, and it makes our problems and the things we go through feel like they get put in their correct perspective.”
“Who else is worthy?” the song asks, leaving the listener in awe of the answer — no one but Jesus. The slow-burning, crescendoing anthem assumes a submissive posture but is still defiant in its stance: No one else compares to Him; and He alone is worthy of all praise, glory and honor.
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“Who Else” takes its victorious cues from Psalm 89:6-7, which says, “For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord? What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord? The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God. He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne.”
Gamboa, who’s collaborated with an array of well-known worship collectives through the years, including UPPERROOM, Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music, lends her intimate vocal to the track. However, previously released versions of the song also respectively showcase Rowe and the group’s Claire Smith, who’s initial live rendering was first captured on 2023’s “Crowns Down.”
