For You. The story of the first song my husband and I ever wrote together.

For You written by Rebekah and Moustapha El-Hakam

My love, Moustapha, and I met in Los Angeles in 1999. Before that we crossed paths at the University of Texas at Austin. I was even introduced to him a few times. But, we didn’t get to know each other until we both lived in LA. There was always a connection. We even tried dating, but the timing was off.
I know now that I had a lot of growing to do before I was supposed to be with my forever person. He had a lot of growing to do too, but I’ll just talk about my growing for now. :)

I was kind of a mess when I moved to LA. I had a personal relationship with Christ. I knew God well and before making any decision, however bad or good, I would think of God. It still didn’t stop me from being selfish and doing the wrong things too many times to remember.

But, God was working on my heart then. By, the end of 2001, God was continuing such a work in my heart and life that he had began so long ago that I didn’t even think the same way I did when I moved out there. I was changed and I was changing. By this time, I had found a church home with amazing worship music and I was volunteering my time there. I had a best friend (my now husband) and wonderful friends. I knew myself better and began to like myself and forgive myself.

By the time my husband and I decided to date we already loved each other. He was my best friend. And, he still is. We loved being together and had a ton of things in common. Little did I know how much in common at the time.

He loved music. For hours he would sit and play the guitar. He would play one melody over and over again. Something he wrote. And loved.

Many years later, after I was called to lead worship and write music, he and I would talk about finishing his song.

The song that was once his song is now called “For You” and it is now our song. My husband came to know Christ in Los Angeles. When we began working on the verses, he would sing the words of communion to start. “On the night Jesus was betrayed…” He was inspired to make this a communion song. We began to talk about what the song is about. How it talks about the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made “for you,” all of you. And how the song progresses to our response to offer our lives as a living sacrifice. It’s all “for You.”

We had these great For You choruses, but the song wasn’t finished and was maybe not going to be on the record. We had sort of moved it to the “maybe” list and it wasn’t in the top 11. But, although we were unsure of it, God was not finished with this song.

I was driving down the freeway one afternoon, suddenly this (in my opinion) really cool praise chorus with lyrics and melody popped in my head. I immediately sang it into my cell phone. I will post this recording once the song is released for you to hear how this happened. I thought to myself that the song had a similar feel to FOR YOU and that the melody was almost an extension of the FOR YOU verse melody Moustapha had written many years before. As soon as I saw him later, I sang it for him. He immediately told me that it was the chorus of FOR YOU. I didn’t even realize it. But, it was. It is this really rocking praise chorus for our song and it finished it. It made it a complete song. It has the powerful story of Christ’s sacrifice “For you” and then our response to Him to live “For You” and ends with a praise Chorus of thanks to God the Father for sending His son for US!

I wanted to share this with you today, Moustapha’s birthday. God gave us each other. He gave us different gifts and passions, but He’s using us together to make really special music. I can’t say enough how grateful I am even to only have this for our children and family. I am grateful for Moustapha’s life. I am grateful for how God uses him to encourage me and to support God’s dreams for us.

Happy birthday, dear husband. May each year continue to be sweeter than the last. I love you.

-Rebekah

Rebekah, Moustapha, Trinity and Leeland