How Great Is Our God

Chris Tomlin sings of the greatness of our God

Christ Tomlin has penned the song "How Great Is Our God," describing the wonder and beauty of our God.

In keeping with Chris's usual strong Biblical references, he begins with a point of faith in Revelation where, according to Irenaeus, all of our interpretation of the Bible should start. (Irenaeus was taught by Polycarp, who was a disciple of St. John the Evangelist. Irenaeus preached that all of Scripture should be read from the point of view that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's great story, and that only by understanding the meaning of his death and resurrection can the Bible be correctly interpreted).

The song begins "The splendor of a king, clothed in majesty". Think of the imagery in those words. What does it bring to mind? For this writer, it calls to mind a king wearing a robe of royal cloth, in a beautiful, well-adorned and lavish palace. They point to Jesus as Lord and King (Rv 19:16). Though these words are lush, they do not adequately describe the beatific joy we will all feel when we are with Jesus, the King.

In describing his kingship, Jesus himself said "I am the light of the world." He brings light, not only into our lives, but into all lives of the world. As we all know, things that come out only at night, in the dark, are afraid of the light. When a light is shown upon them, they scurry away, seeking their safety again in darkness. The same is true of the darkness in our lives and in the world around us. Think of the reaction of someone caught in a lie. The typical first response is to cover it up, to hide it. Jesus's light in our lives causes us to see the darkness within us; we must fight the tendency to "cover it up" and instead expose it to the true purifying power of Jesus.

God's greatness is not just for now, but is for all time. God's everlasting nature was announced by the prophet Isaiah (Is 44:6, 48:12). And, again in Revelation, Jesus declared, "I am the Alpha and the Omega" (Rv 22:13). Furthermore, God is lord of time. Thus, both the Psalms (Ps 90:4) and St. Peter (2 Pt 3:8) have declared that a thousand years are like one day to God, meaning God's time is not our time. Though we, in our rush-rush world, want things to happen now, God's view of time allows him to act with the timing that is best for us to spread his message of love, compassion, forgiveness and peace.

God accomplishes all things through the power of the Trinity, three persons in one God, one of the basic tenets of the Christian faith. As it is written in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "It is the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #254). And it is the Son, Jesus Christ, who is the Lion of Judah, and the Lamb of God. His sacrifice redeemed us of our sins and, as the Lion of Judah, is the one to whom the kingship shall fall (Gn 49:9-10, Rv 5:5-6).

In Jesus Christ, we have the name above all names. Thus, as St. Paul has written: "... God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

How great is our God? Is there any other God that is as powerful, as merciful, as loving as our God? Isn't our God worthy of praise? Doesn't the wonder of God make you want to join the choirs of angels singing? How great is our God? There is no other God as great as our God.

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