WORdSHIP #1: O Worship the King
O WORSHIP THE KING
O worship the King, all glorious above
O gratefully sing His wonderful love
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days
Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise
O tell of His might, O sing of His grace
Whose robe is the light and canopy space
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm
You alone are the matchless King
To You alone be all majesty
Your glories and wonders, what tongue can recite?
You breathe in the air, You shine in the light
O measureless might, ineffable love
While angels delight to worship above
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend
—
This may be the song that I’ve been asked about the most over the last several years. And no, it’s not a question of whether ineffable is in fact a real word. (It means “too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words”. Try to use it in a sentence today! BONUS: Try pavilioned!). The discussion is always in reference to the last line of the chorus: “You breathe in the air / You shine in the light.”
Does God breathe? God absolutely, positively doesn’t “breathe” like we breathe and the chorus is not suggesting that. Instead, the lyric is an allusion to God breathing air into the world – being our source, our life. We see something similar when He created Adam according to Genesis 2:7:
“Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
He breathes in the air. For His breath is our air. He shines in the light. For He radiates light. He is light. He is matchless.
Hey bro,
even More Air:
This is The Air I Breathe…” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjkBVn_eUec
AND
Light: “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path…”
Go Hokies
Hi Eric,
Just wanted to use space here to tell you how much you have blessed me with your gifts of voice and instruments. You and Ed and the band(s) do an amazing job of lifting up Jesus’ name week after week, month after month. I appreciate you.
Now, a special request. Do you think you could add Chris Tomlin’s great work, “Jesus Messiah” to your repertoire? I just heard it on the station I’m streaming at my desk and it, as it always does, brought tears to my eyes. I can hear you guys leading it one Sunday soon. And I can hear the voices of the body of believers shouting out the verses! Praise His name!!
In His Grip,
Bob (Daniel Pfaff’s GranDad)