O Worship the King
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Following on the coat tails of our last discussion, “What is Worship Anyway?” I thought that it would be appropriate to discuss the song:
O Worship the King – by Robert Grant.
Again, when we use the word “worship” we are talking about our response to who God is, so what better title to this beloved hymn of the faith than, “O Worship the King”?
The author of the words of this song, Robert Grant, describes how he views himself and the rest of mankind in light of the awesome God of the universe with these humbling words: “frail children of dust, and feeble as frail.” Is there any doubt, after reading or singing those powerful words, that Sir Grant has truly encountered who God is?
The descriptive words he uses to glorify God are significant and glorious: “Shield, Defender, Ancient of Days, Maker, Defender, Redeemer and Friend.” Then you add some of the most vivid imagery found in ANY hymn in use today: “pavilioned in splendor,” “girded with praise.” “whose robe is the light,” “whose canopy space,” “chariots of wrath,” “wings of the storm” and you get a powerful tool to aid us in worthy praise and awe of our heavenly King.
Every time the music starts to this hymn my heart swells with anticipation of singing these wonderful and awe inspiring words.
But there is one word added to this hymn that had me wondering what I was singing and that word was “ineffable.”
INEFFABLE LOVE
We sing this hymn with gusto and pass right over these words with little to no thought: “O measureless might, ineffable love” and we miss the great meaning of this word and perhaps we miss part of the point of Sir Robert Grants response to his encounter with who God is.
So, what does ineffable mean?
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ineffable as: “incapable of being expressed in words” or “not to be uttered <the ineffable name of Jehovah>”
It’s synonyms are: incommunicable, indefinable, indescribable, inexpressible, nameless, uncommunicable, unspeakable, unutterable.
As you read this definition are you gaining a new appreciation for this hymn writer’s words?
It’s like he is sitting, pen in hand, writing down the words to try to encapsulate his thoughts about God and there just isn’t anything that he can write to express his encounter with who God is. It’s a beautiful picture: I have no words to describe your love for me and so I will describe it as indescribable.
PERSONAL NOTE:
Several years ago, I was preparing my paper for my ordination.
For you non-pastor types, it’s a thick paper containing your personal testimony, call to ministry, what you believe about God, humans, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the end times, scripture, and church in general.
I would study and then write the paper in sections and when it was time to write down everything I believed about God, nothing came out. I didn’t even know where to start.
How do you even begin to describe God?
For hours I stared at a blank Microsoft Word screen on my computer and sat in awe and wonder of what I had just taken months to study about the topic of God, His character and how He interacts with mankind. I knew that no matter what I would put down would be completely inadequate to paint a proper picture of God.
But in that moment of writer block, I worshiped. I worshiped the God who revealed Himself to mankind and was gracious enough to call me to serve Him.
When I had no words to adequately describe God, I worshiped. Ineffable, what a word. It’s a word to say you have no words. You’re speechless.
So, the next time you sing this song, make sure you don’t breeze through the words with little to no thought. And when you get to the words “ineffable love” sing it with some GUSTO!
PASSAGES TO LOOK UP:
Here are some passages to consider in light of the hymn: “O Worship the King.” Hopefully as you read these scriptures, the familiar lyrics will swell with meaning for you the next time you encounter this song. If you click on the scripture references they will open up another window in Bible.org with the scripture right there for you. The internet can be such a wonderful thing…
NEXT TIME: Speaking of vivid imagery, we will be discussing the song “How He Loves” by John Mark McMillan