Arriving (2004)

Arriving is the third studio album by Christian singer - songwriter Chris Tomlin, released on September 21, 2004 by sixstepsrecords/Sparrow Records. The album was produced by Ed Cash.

Arriving is Tomlin's breakthrough release and is considered a successful album as the contemporary worship boom of the 2000s thrives. The album contains two covers: The lead single "Indescribable" was originally recorded by its writer and Christian singer and songwriter Laura Story in 2003 and "Your Grace Is Enough" was originally recorded by Christian singer/songwriter/worship leader Matt Maher, though Tomlin rewrote the chorus compared to Maher's original version.

But it was Tomlin's second single "Holy Is the Lord" that really put him and Arriving on the musical map as it served as the centerpiece of the album. Tomlin co-wrote it with songwriter and pastor Louie Giglio as the song's lyrical theme center entirely around adoration, divine majesty, and communal reverence. "Holy Is the Lord" climbed to number one on both Billboard and Radio & Records Christian AC charts and even topped R&R's Christian Inspo chart. The song would stay on the charts throughout 2005 and then was Gold certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2023. The third single "The Way I Was Made" peaked inside the Top 10 on R&R's Christian AC chart while "Holy Is the Lord" was still in the Top 5 on the same chart. However, it did not chart on the Billboard Christian music survey. "Holy Is the Lord" won Worship Song of the Year at the Dove Awards in 2007.

The album's final single "How Great Is Our God" was a career defining contemporary worship song that was released at the beginning of 2006. The song’s verses and chorus draw deep inspiration from scripture, heavily echoing the descriptive language of Psalm 104. The lyrics weave through central Christian theology, touching on themes of eternity ("Age to age He stands"), the Trinity ("The Godhead Three in One"), and the dual nature of Christ ("The Lion and the Lamb"). It was number one across both Billboard and R&R's Christian music charts. The song has since been covered by numerous artists. Tomlin performed a new edition of the track entitled "How Great Is Our God: World Edition" at the 2012 Passion conference. This new version included the original lyrics sung in several different languages: English, Hindi, Indonesian, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Zulu, Afrikaans and Mandarin. The song has also been adapted to be sung by small Christian choirs. It has won two Dove Awards taking the top prize for Song of the Year and Worship Song of the Year in 2006 and winning it again for Worship Song of the Year in 2008. "How Great Is Our God" was certified Double Platinum for sales of 2 million downloads by the RIAA in March 2026.

Arriving arrived on the Billboard Top Christian Albums survey peaking at number 3 and at number 39 on the Billboard 200. It was one of the biggest selling albums throughout 2005 and 2006. It was Gold certified in 2006 and then Platinum certified in 2008. It was Tomlin's first million selling release. Tomlin won Dove Awards for this album in 2005 and 2006, plus winning Worship Song of the Year for three consecutive years from 2006 to 2008. As of 2008, "How Great Is Our God" is No. 1 and "Holy Is the Lord" is No. 7 on Christian Copyright Licensing International's (CCLI) Top 100 songs used in churches across the United States.

Track listing

1. Indescribable (Laura Story; additional lyrics by Jesse Reeves) -3:58

2. Holy Is the Lord (Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio) -4:12

3. How Great Is Our God (Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Ed Cash) -4:27

4. Your Grace Is Enough (Matt Maher; additional lyrics by Chris Tomlin) -4:09

5. Unfailing Love (featuring Steven Curtis Chapman) (Chris Tomlin, Cary Pierce,

Ed Cash) -4:00

6. The Way I Was Made (Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Ed Cash) -3:34

7. Mighty Is the Power of the Cross (Chris Tomlin, Shawn Craig, Jesse Reeves)

-6:05

8. All Bow Down (Chris Tomlin, Ed Cash) -4:07

9. On Our Side (Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves, Ed Cash) -3:37

10. King of Glory (Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves) -3:09

11. You Do All Things Well (Chris Tomlin, Michael John Clement, Jesse Reeves)

-4:45

RIAA certifications

Arriving -Gold certified in 2006.

Platinum certified in 2008.

"Holy Is the Lord" single -Gold certified in 2023.

"Indescribable" single -Gold certified in 2014.

Platinum certified in 2026.

"How Great Is Our God" single -Gold certified in 2011.

Platinum certified 2x in 2026.

Accolades

Dove Award -2005 Praise & Worship Album of the Year (Arriving)

2006 Artist of the Year

Male Vocalist of the Year

Song of the Year ("How Great Is Our God" with Jesse Reeves

and Ed Cash

2006, 2008 Worship Song of the Year ("How Great Is Our God")

2007 Worship Song of the Year ("Holy Is the Lord")

Radio singles

2004-2005 "Indescribable" -#3 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#3 Billboard

Christian Airplay, -#2 Billboard Christian AC Airplay, -#2 R&R Christian AC, -#9

R&R Christian Inspo

2005 "Holy Is the Lord" -#2 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#2 Billboard Christian

Airplay, -#1 Billboard Christian AC Airplay for 2 weeks, -#1 R&R Christian AC,

-#1 R&R Christian Inspo for 7 weeks

2005 "The Way I Was Made" -#10 R&R Christian AC

2006 "How Great Is Our God" -#1 Billboard Hot Christian Songs, -#1 Billboard

Christian Airplay, -#1 Billboard Christian AC Airplay, -#20 R&R Christian CHR, -#1

R&R Christian AC for 5 weeks, -#1 R&R Christian Inspo for 3 weeks

Previous release: Not to Us (2002) 

Next release: Live From Austin Music Hall (2005)