Song
For the Lord Is Holy
© New Glory International
Song
For the Lord Is Holy
From Live Worship from the World Prayer Center · 2000
Streaming links open the full album
Behind the song
The story behind For the Lord Is Holy
Written by
Terry MacAlmon
Terry MacAlmon context
Recorded on Live Worship from the World Prayer Center
For the Lord Is Holy is one of Terry MacAlmon's clearest examples of how a very small number of words can carry a worshipper a long way. The song rests on four descriptions of the Lord: holy, worthy, lovely and the lover of the soul. Repeated together, those words hold two dimensions of worship in the same place. God is utterly holy and worthy of reverence, yet He is also near, beautiful and personally loved.
That combination is central to Terry's worship language. The presence of God is never meant to make Him casual or ordinary. Nearness should deepen reverence, not diminish it. At the same time, holiness is not presented as cold distance. The holy God is the One the soul loves.
Recorded during the World Prayer Center years, the song also demonstrates Terry's conviction that repetition can serve worship when it is used to focus rather than manipulate. Once the congregation knows the words, attention can move away from the screen or song sheet. The same truth can be sung until the heart catches up with the mouth.
For the Lord Is Holy is important because it brings together the majesty and intimacy that have marked Terry's ministry for decades. Worship is awe, but it is not only awe. Worship is love, but it is not casual familiarity. The Lord is holy and lovely at the same time. By staying with those truths, the song creates a simple place where reverence and affection can meet in the presence of God.
Watch
For the Lord Is Holy
Official release audio · Terry MacAlmon YouTube channel
Live Worship from the World Prayer Center was born out of a remarkable season of worship in Colorado Springs. In 1998 Terry MacAlmon began leading a Wednesday noon gathering at the World Prayer Center that became known as Lunch with the Lord. What started simply as time set apart to worship grew quickly. The chapel filled with people who came not for a concert, but to seek the presence of God together. Testimonies of healing, restored relationships and renewed hope began to follow.
This album became the first major live recording to capture that atmosphere. The songs move from strong corporate praise into deep, unhurried worship. This Is the Time and Blessing and Honor open the gathering before Holy Are You Lord, For the Lord Is Holy and You Deserve the Glory draw the room into reverence. Even So, What a Friend I've Found, Agnus Dei and I Sing Praises continue that movement toward intimacy.
The recording soon traveled far beyond Colorado Springs. One of the stories Terry later shared was that Benny Hinn heard the CD at home after his wife played it. The worship deeply touched him, and Terry was later invited to minister at one of his crusades. It was one of many doors that opened as the album began reaching people Terry had never met.
Live Worship from the World Prayer Center became a defining recording in Terry's ministry. It did not begin as a carefully manufactured attempt to create a worship brand. It grew out of a real gathering where people were already coming week after week to worship. The album simply opened the doors and allowed listeners around the world to enter that room.