Onefiftythree Praise and Worship

The Splendor of Your Holiness - Background
"The Splendor of Your Holiness" was written while in Key West, what I (and perhaps many) consider to be a tropical paradise. Although the Keys are very conducive to creativity, we were there simply enjoying a vacation. So, "The Splendor of Your Holiness" really ended up being a rather pleasant and unexpected surprise.

I was reading through Psalm 29 by the pool at our hotel, and I was intrigued by the phrase, "the splendor of his holiness," and in particular, the word "splendor." What is being conveyed with this phrase that only appears once (verse 2) in the Psalm? I checked out some definitions of "splendor" and found that it refers to brilliance, great light or luster, and a quality that outshines the usual. There was a certain earthly splendor about my surroundings in Key West. When used in conjunction with God's holiness, however, "splendor" takes on a deeper and richer meaning. The Psalmist is conveying something very profound with regard to God's holiness. We try to describe the indescribable, as it is with the holiness of God. We cannot fully understand the holiness of God, but we come a little closer with the use of the word, "splendor." Think about those Biblical references to the people who encountered God's holiness�Moses, when he went up to the mountain for the second set of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 34:29) "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD".�Peter, James and John witnessed something similar when they went up to the mountain with Jesus (Luke 9:28-31) "About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus." In both of those instances, they were engulfed by "the splendor of his holiness." Moses was "sun-burnt," if you will, with the brilliance, the great light of his holiness. Peter, James and John experienced not only the splendor of Jesus' holiness, but also the transformed holiness of Moses and Elijah. Those are great Biblical descriptions of what it's like to be in the presence of our holy God. So, from the phrase , "the splendor of his holiness," the song was born.

The Splendor of Your Holiness - Inside Information
The first version of the song was up-tempo and rockin' to fit with the powerful nature of God. We see that in verses 3 through 8 with descriptions of God's voice like "the LORD thunders," "the LORD is powerful," "the LORD is majestic" and "the LORD shakes the earth." I also changed "his" holiness to "your" holiness in order to make it more personal for worshipers as they sing. I brought this song to a songwriter's workshop where I was fortunate enough to have Paul Baloche and Rick Cua critique the up-tempo version. Paul Baloche suggested that I slow the tempo down and make it more of a ballad to focus on the title/hook of the song, "The Splendor of Your holiness." I did that, as well as changing a few chords. I changed it to an acoustic version, then finally to the full band version in the player.

1 Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.

4 The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.

5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the LORD strikes
with flashes of lightning.

8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"

10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

11 The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.