Song
You Deserve the Glory
© New Glory International
Song
You Deserve the Glory
From Live Worship from the World Prayer Center · 2000
Streaming links open the full album
Behind the song
The story behind You Deserve the Glory
Written by
Eva-Lena Hellmark
Terry MacAlmon context
Recorded by Terry on Live Worship from the World Prayer Center
You Deserve the Glory is one of the songs most closely associated with Terry MacAlmon, even though he did not write it. Written by Eva-Lena Hellmark, the song became a defining part of Terry's live worship ministry through his recording from the World Prayer Center. Its words are direct and uncomplicated: glory and honor belong to God, His name is lifted high, and there is no one like Him. That simplicity is exactly why the song works so naturally in Terry's approach to worship.
Terry has never believed that a worship leader should sing only his own material. His concern is whether a song has been born from a genuine encounter with God and whether it helps ordinary people worship. He has described his role as choosing songs that were birthed around the throne of God, whether they were written by him or by someone else. You Deserve the Glory fits that conviction perfectly. There is no need for the congregation to study the song before entering into it. The words can be received immediately, and then the worship can go deeper than the words themselves.
Terry's live versions are often much longer than a standard song performance because the goal is not to finish a piece of music. The song becomes a place to remain, listen and respond. That is why You Deserve the Glory has endured as one of his best-known recordings. It is not important because Terry made the song his own. It is important because, in his hands, the song repeatedly becomes a vehicle that helps a room of people make one thing central: God alone deserves the glory.
Watch
You Deserve the Glory
Official 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.
