Great Are You Lord by All Sons & Daughters
Songwriters: David Leonard / Jason Ingram / Leslie Jordan, Essential Music Publishing, Capitol Christian Music Group
In this reflection of the contemporary worship song Great Are You Lord, I will highlight three factors that make this song effective as part of our biblical mandate to worship corporately.
Theologically Sound
First and foremost, Great Are You Lord is theologically sound. Though the lyrics are relatively few compared to many current worship songs, this worship song is permeated with the truths, hope, and comforts of God’s word. As a matter of fact, there is not one phrase that doesn’t have a biblical reference, and some phrases have more than one. The following is a sample list of scriptures where the truths of Great Are You Lord may be found; Deuteronomy 30:3–6, 1 Chronicles 16:25, Lamentations 2:18, Ezekiel 37:1–14, Isaiah 42:5, Jeremiah 10:6, Psalm 51:8–17, Psalm 66:4, Psalm 119:171, Psalm 145:3, Psalm 150:6, John 1:4–9, Ephesians 2:6, and 1 John 4:8.
There is no better way to give God all glory than to use His inspired word to praise Him. Romans 11:36 says, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” What a thought, that God even gives us what we need to praise Him! It’s all from Him! Take a look at the line in the chorus, “It’s Your breath in our lungs, so we pour out our praise!”, with scripture references Isaiah 42:5 and Psalm 150:6. God gives us breath to praise, hearts to engage, and hands to raise for His glory! Songs that are written for worship, yet are not sound theologically, do not honor God. Without a scriptural reference, there is no solid foundation on which to build truth. Without truth there is no worship (John 4:24).
God Focused
In a sea of “me”, “my”, and “I” laced worship songs being sung in churches today, there are still songs being written that are God focused and God glorifying. Great Are You Lord is one of those songs. God is the subject of the song, the audience of its singers, as well as the intended recipient of its praise. God’s word tells us that He is to be the subject of our praise. The Old Testament passage Psalm 115:1 says, “We don’t deserve praise! The Lord alone deserves all of the praise, because of his love and faithfulness.” The New Testament passage Revelation 4:11 says, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power, you created all things, by your will they existed and were created.”
Song of the Church
Great Are You Lord is a prayer song, sung to God, but not from the perspective of the individual singer, but from the church as a whole. That is what makes it such an effective corporate worship song. When singing this song, the church is glorifying God like the early church as recorded in Acts 2:47, and as the Apostle Paul instructed to the churches in Ephesians 5:18–19 and Colossians 3:16.
Another factor when determining whether or not a song is right for a congregation is its sing-ability and comprehensiveness. The lyrics of Great Are You Lord are simple and easy to understand. Also, the musical range is singable, yet diverse enough to allow for a range of dynamics. With its three chord progression, it is also relatively simple for church musicians of varied skill levels to play.
Great Are You Lord, Lyrics
You give life, You are love
You bring light to the darkness
You give hope, You restore
Every heart that is broken
Great are You, Lord
It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise
We pour out our praise
It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise to You only
And all the earth will shout Your praise
Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing
Great are You, Lord
