Voices only: ‘Only a Holy God’ — in English and French

Welcome to Voices only, where we search the internet to bring you great a cappella music.

Here’s “Only a Holy God” by CityAlight, written by Michael Farren, Jonny Robinson, Dustin Smith and Rich Thompson, sung by the Acappella Company’s Praise and Harmony singers.

If you don’t know this song, watch this video until the end. After the choral performance you’ll find a simplified version of the song that will help you learn the parts.

“Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples” (Psalm 117:1).

“Come and worship the holy God!”  Before the tremendous beauty of God’s creation — as well as the immense blessings that God pours into my life — I am simply in awe. To worship the holy God goes beyond just singing songs and hymns to praise his name. True worship means offering myself as a living sacrifice to him (“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship” Romans 12:1).

“How can I not offer my life to the one who truly knows me — better than even myself?”

And the beauty of this is that it’s not a heavy burden. How can I not offer my life to the one who truly knows me — better than even myself? How can I not bow down before him who can restore and rescue me? How can I not worship the one who saved me? How can I not praise the one who is full of majesty, splendor and power?

All the earth and heavens were made to worship the only holy God! How amazing is to hear the praises and the harmonies of worship of all the peoples on earth, all the nations, in all languages.

“My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever” (Psalm 145:21).

Here’s the song in French, sung by “Choeur à Coeurs,” a ministry from the Chapelle de Fuveau Church of Christ in Marseille, France.

Lynda Sheehan, the Chronicle’s lead administrative assistant, has had a heart for God’s work in France for a long time and recommended the beautiful songs of Choeur à Coeurs.  Craig and Katie Young and Rob and Emilie Presthus are the masterminds behind the 41 high-quality performances (that’s the current number of songs; new ones are published every few weeks).  Longtime missionary Prisca Daugherty Dauner has done a masterful job through the years of translating English hymns and Christian lyrics into French for use in the French work, and she has done the translation for most of the wonderful songs that are sung by this virtual a cappella chorus. Enjoy and be blessed!

For more songs from this group, see their YouTube page.

What a cappella song do you find especially meaningful? Send us a video link and a short description of what the song means to you. We might use your selection in a future Voices Only.

DANIELA NEVES is a student at Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City. She is a student worker for The Christian Chronicle and a translator for Luso-Africa Mission Partners (LAMP) International. She is from Lisbon, Portugal, and grew up in the Igreja de Cristo Lisboa (Lisbon Church of Christ)

Filed under: A Cappella Hymns a cappella worship acapella Acapella Ministries Acapella Praise and Worship Christian hymns french french hymn french hymns Voices Only Voices Only