Exegeting the Hymns #73 - Our Great God

Our Great God
w/m - Johnny Mac Powell / Fernando Ortega

Eternal God, unchanging
Mysterious and unknown
Your boundless love unfailing
In grace and mercy shown
Bright seraphim in ceaseless flight
Around your glorious throne
They raise their voices day and night
In praise to you alone

Hallelujah!
Glory be to our great God
Hallelujah!
Glory be to our great God!

Lord, we are weak and frail,
Helpless in the storm
Surround us with your angels
Hold us in your arms
Our cold and ruthless enemy
His pleasure is our harm
Rise up, oh Lord, and he will flee
Before our Sovereign God

Let every creature in the sea
And every flying bird
Let all the mountains, all the fields
And valleys of the earth
Let all the moons and all the stars
In all the universe
Sing praises to the Living God
Who rules them by His word

Our Great God is an amazing worship song that not only has great theology worth hiding in our heart, but also leads the worshiper in an outpouring of praise. To me, this is the perfect combination in a worship song. It is completely God-focused.  

Eternal God, unchanging, mysterious and unknown. This is not saying we cannot have a relationship with this God, but He is “unknown” in that we cannot comprehend all that He is. It’s like my iPhone. I can turn it on and make calls and play games and check my calendar, but if you were to open it up and explain to me how it works, I would be completely lost. We can know what God has revealed about Himself, but it is far from exhaustive. Your boundless love unfailing in grace and mercy shown. The contrast between the first and second lines should be humbling to us… This God, who is eternal, mysterious, and unchanging in His perfections, shows love and mercy to us who, in no way, deserve it.

Bright seraphim in ceaseless flight around your glorious throne: they raise their voices day and night in praise to you alone. Ephesians 3:10 tells us that “God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens.” In other words, God teaches Spirit beings through the grace He shows in saving us through Christ.  

Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God. While the verses speak the details of God’s greatness, the chorus leads the worshiper in resounding praise. I can think of no greater phrase for God’s children to sing to Him than this.

Lord, we are weak and frail, helpless in the storm. Surround us with your angels. Hold us in your arms. In stark contrast with God’s exhaustive power is our exhausted weakness. Anything we try to accomplish in our own strength is quickly overwhelmed by the onslaught of life. Without Him, we can do nothing. It is in our weakness that His strength is put on display.  

Our cold and ruthless enemy, his pleasure is our harm. Rise up, oh Lord, and he will flee before our Sovereign God. As sons and daughters of God, we have a target on our backs. As the song “A Mighty Fortress” says, speaking of our “Ancient foe”, “On earth is not his equal”. We cannot fight the enemy alone, in fact, we cannot fight him at all. It is God who limits Satan’s reach. Our job is to call on the name of the Lord and He will save us.

Let every creature in the sea and every flying bird, let all the mountains, all the fields and valleys of the earth, let all the moons and all the stars in all the universe, sing praises to the Living God Who rules them by His word. Luke tells us that if the disciples of Jesus kept silent, the rocks would cry out. Even if they make no audible sound of praise, all creation, all that is made cries out at how awesome the Creator is. The heavens declare the glory of our great God!

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