Paddleboards and Praise
Revelation 15:3-4 — Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God, the Almighty. Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous deeds have been revealed.
It wasn’t a stage. It wasn’t a writing room.
It was water.
During the chaos and uncertainty of 2020, Chris Tomlin found himself in Montana, sitting alone on a paddleboard in the middle of a still lake at sunset. No noise. No crowd. Just water and silence.
And on that lake, something unsettled him—in a good way.
He became deeply aware of how small he was… and how vast God is.
Not in a crushing way. In a clarifying way.
He had spent years writing songs of deliverance—songs people cling to when they need rescue, grace, and mercy. And those songs matter. Deeply.
But out there on the water, something else was rising.
A different kind of worship song. It was not one that sounded like “God, come through for me,” but “God, you are holy.”
The kind that echoes what’s already been sung long before any of us arrived:
There in that awe-inspiring setting, Chris was reminded of the book of Revelation, where believers from every nation worship before God’s throne crying out, “Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord God Almighty… for you alone are holy.” He also thought about the angels surrounding God’s throne declaring, “Holy, holy, holy.”
That’s where Holy Forever was born—out of stillness, not striving.
It holds both sides of worship we often separate: the God who rescues us, and the God who stands far above us. Because we need both the God who meets us in our mess, and the same God who reminds us He was never overwhelmed by it at all.
And maybe that’s what your soul needs today—not just rescue, but reverence.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
- When was the last time you truly stopped and felt awe at God’s greatness?
- Do your prayers lean more toward asking God for help or worshiping Him for who He is?
- How does remembering God’s holiness change your perspective on your problems?
- What helps you slow down enough to notice God’s presence?
- Why is it important to remember both God’s nearness and His majesty?
Lyrics:
A thousand generations falling down in worship
To sing the song of ages to the Lamb
And all who’ve gone before us and all who will believe
Will sing the song of ages to the Lamb
Your name is the highest
Your name is the greatest
Your name stands above them all
All thrones and dominions
All powers and positions
Your name stands above them all
And the angels cry, Holy
All creation cries, Holy
You are lifted high, Holy
Holy forever
If you’ve been forgiven and if you’ve been redeemed
Sing the song forever to the Lamb
If you walk in freedom and if you bear His name
Sing the song forever to the Lamb
We’ll sing the song forever and amen
Hear your people sing, Holy
To the King of Kings, Holy
You will always be, Holy
Holy forever
You will always be, Holy
Holy forever
