Worship Leader Laura Hackett Park and the worship team at the International House of Prayer (IHOPKC) in Kansas City, Missouri have breathed several new worship anthems into the Church from their annual Onething Live conferences. "You Won't Relent," "You Satisfy My Soul," "Baptize My Heart," "Arms Wide Open," "I Feel His Love," "The Love Inside," "The Gift" and "Pour My Love on You" consistently bless me as a worshiper.

I was excited to hear Onething Live: Shout Your Name, recorded at Onething 2014, and it proved to be one of my top 10 "gourmet" albums of the first half of 2015. The project features Forerunner Music artists and IHOPKC worship leaders Misty Edwards, Jaye Thomas, Laura Hackett Park, Jonas Park, Jon Thurlow, Justin Rizzo and Ryan Kondo. The collection includes gorgeous renditions of Kari Jobe's "When You Walk in the Room" by Jon Thurlow, "In the Presence of Angels" and "Lift Up Your Head" by Laura Hackett Park, and Kevin Prosch's "So Come" by Misty Edwards.

Focusing on the conference's theme of "Until the fame of Jesus fills the earth," each song from the 11-track project reflects the unique musical and spiritual gifts shared 24/7 by the worship team at the House of Prayer. Every single song could be added to your Sunday morning worship set. The worship leaders at IHOPKC all write and sing songs with an amazing passion and with unashamed praise and gratitude to our Savior that is very inspiring and emotionally moving. The eternal Love of Jesus is beautifully expressed in these compelling songs. I had the chance to speak with Laura about her recording of Roy Fields' song "In The Presence of Angels."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

I first heard this song in England at this incredible ministry called House of Prayer Europe. I'm headed there again this year. I heard the song last year, and I went up to one of the worship leaders who led the song and asked him about it. He told me it was by Roy Fields, and I looked it up. I was touched by the Lord when I heard it in England, and I picked the song to lead in our worship set. 

I started singing it with the band, and we decided to change some of the chord progressions and added some dynamics flowing in and out of the song. We were all loving the song, and the band and I came up with our own version. We tested it out a few times in the prayer room, and once we led it corporately we came up with this version.

Once we made up our band version, we enjoyed it so much that we wanted to sing it during the Onething conference. The musical interlude really took us there, where we added some chord progressions, and I was nervous to learn what Roy Fields would think of it. He let me know that he loved our arrangement. Basically, the lead musical line always brings me to a place of prayer and focuses my heart on the Lord. The chord progression that walks down brings such a lifting to my spirit. We've started to encounter the Lord every time we sing it.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Isaiah 6:1-3 (NIV): In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory."

Ezekiel 1:25-28 (MSG): "And then, as they stood with folded wings, there was a voice from above the dome over their heads. Above the dome there was something that looked like a throne, sky-blue like a sapphire, with a humanlike figure towering above the throne. From what I could see, from the waist up he looked like burnished bronze and from the waist down like a blazing fire. Brightness everywhere! The way a rainbow springs out of the sky on a rainy day--that's what it was like. It turned out to be the Glory of God! When I saw all this, I fell to my knees, my face to the ground. Then I heard a voice."

Revelation 4:2-8 (NKJV): "Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices... Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal... And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures... And they do not rest day or night, saying: 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!'"

What is the takeaway message?

It's one of those songs when we want to run into the Throne Room, musically and lyrically this song lifts us there. There's something about the dynamic changes that help focus your mind. We can get caught up in a moment, and the musical dynamics keep you focused on His Throne instead of letting your mind wander during the song.

I love the idea of the angelic realm and being in the presence of angels. We can remember that there's a spiritual realm around us, which is super powerful when we are singing corporately. When we sing, we are joining in with Heaven, and there's a connection between Heaven and earth that we will know more fully at the end of time. We touch on that with this song.

What we do every day at IHOPKC is come before the Lord and sing straight to Him. We want to try to touch His heart. In the prayer room, we are focused on God. We want to talk with Him before we try to minister to anyone else. We want to tell Him who He is and find our strength in Him. Our natural mode in worship is to come before Him and worship Him. 

At Onething, it's powerful to join in with all those worshipers and imagine being around His Throne, singing in His presence. I'm looking forward to that feeling in Heaven. I try to pick songs that people can pick up easily and sing and focus on Him.

Lyrics:
This is a realm of Your glory
This is a realm of Your grace
I can feel Your mighty power
It is moving in this place

We're in the presence of angels
With God's glory on their wings
Like the voice of many waters
I can hear the angels sing

Holy holy holy holy
Holy worthy glory

Having three young daughters, it is exciting to me to hear anointed female worship leaders like Laura and Misty from IHOPKC. Laura sings with a passion that is engaging and uplifting, and her lyrics point listeners to Jesus. Laura and Misty are wonderful role models of women serving the Lord with their musical gifts for my daughters to look up to. 

I can totally relate to Isaiah in Isaiah 6 when after being in the presence of the Lord, he says, "woe is me." His response to God is my life verse, Isaiah 6:8 (NIV): "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

The prayerful message of abandon in this song is my heart's cry for my daughters to adopt as well. I want them to connect with Jesus in the same way this song longs for relationship with our Lord and Savior. When we feel like we are on shaky ground and we are dealing with the uncertainty of our situations, the economy and our world, this song allows us to dwell on the unshakable and eternal nature of God. When all else fades away, He will remain.

This song leads me to the Throne Room in worship of Jesus, and in this vertical expression in particular I truly get lost in the majesty and wonder and beauty of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The musical arrangement is perfect for any style of worship service, and the message is biblical, timeless and relevant.

This song for the Church reminds us that the pain of this world is temporary and calls us to live for Heaven. As Christians-- the bride of Christ-- we'll worship Him forever, and in the presence of angels and with the elders and the saints we'll all sing to our Bridegroom: "Like the voice of many waters, I can hear the angels sing, Holy, holy, holy, holy, Holy, Worthy, Glory." Amen to that!

(Watch Laura sing the song here.)