Great Are You, Lord

Great Are You, Lord!

Or, as the Psalmist in Psalm 104 put it:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, Thou art very great;
Thou art clothed with splendor and majesty,
covering Thyself with light a with a cloak;
stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.
He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters;
He makes the clouds His chariot;
He walks upon the wings of the wind…”
Psalm 104: 1-3

God’s greatness is astounding; so much so, that we mere humans cannot take it in to our small minds. But we do take into our nostrils, filling our lungs, the very breathe of God.

How so?

In the first book of the Bible, in Genesis, we read that God fashioned the first man, Adam. The man was yet just a beautiful, artfully created piece of clay. Yes, the very hands of God, artist that He is, crafted this first human being!

But how would He bring it to life?

“Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breathe of life, and man became a living being.”
Genesis 2: 7

From the breath of God, man breathed. In the breath from God, man lived. And with the breath of God, shall we not praise Him?

In today’s song, Great Are You, Lord, we find these lyrics:

“It’s Your breath
In our lungs,
So we pour out our praise,
We pour out our praise…”
Authors: David Leonard, Jason Ingram, Leslie Jordan, All Sons and Daughters

The Greatness of God

God is indeed great — and the following childhood “table grace” gets it right! This simple meal-time prayer echoes the mighty Psalm 104, a psalm that provides various examples of God’s greatness. This prayer rightly claims that only by God’s hand does any living thing eat.

God is great
God is good
So we thank Him
For this food.
By His hand
Must all be fed.
So give us, Lord,
Our daily bread.
Amen

It is only from the great and gracious Hand of God that any of us are fed. It is only from His daily breath that any of us keep on living. It is only from His borrowed breath that we breathe.

“All creatures look to You
to give them their food in due season.
When You give it to them,
they gather it up;
when You open Your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.
When You hide Your face,
they are terrified;
when You take away their breath,
they die and return to dust.
When You send Your Spirit, (or, breath)
they are created,
and You renew
the face of the earth.
Psalm 104:27-30

Like this gorgeous psalm (why not turn to it and read it now?) today’s addition to our Practice of Praise celebrates the might of God. It calls out our utter dependance upon His mercy, celebrates His greatness, and invites us into worship, where we can exalt this great God, whom we are privileged to worship.

All Sons & Daughters – Great Are You Lord (Official Lyric Video)

All Sons & Daughters – Great Are You Lord (Official Lyric Video)