1 LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. 2 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? 5 You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, 8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8
The Psalms have always been a source of inspiration for musicians. From monastic psalm chants and the metrical versions of the psalms by John Calvin's followers, to the more liberal paraphrases of Isaac Watts, singing the psalms in some form has been important throughout Christianity. So it's no surprise that contemporary musicians such as Michael W. Smith would use the psalms for musical inspiration.
Smith had a difficult time when he graduated from high school in the mid-1970's. Nothing seemed to work for him and college didn't seem to fit him. He made a journey to Nashville, where he thought he had discovered a calling in the music industry. But instead he became hooked on drugs.
He was just 22 years old in 1979, and sinking fast when he finally prayed for a change in his life. From that low point, perhaps, to where he began to grow in confidence and productivity, sprang this song that he wrote. Some feel it was an echo of a song written centuries earlier by David, another songwriter who knew what it was like to struggle, but who also knew what it was like to feel God's saving hand.
"How Majestic Is Your Name" draws heavily from Psalm 8:1a, 9 as translated in the Revised Standard Version. The syncopated rhythms and abbreviated singing range draw congregational singers into the energy of the text. Allusions to Isaiah 9:6 in the second half of the song — "Prince of Peace, mighty God" — fill out the song. The song achieved hit status when Sandi Patty recorded it.
In 1981, Smith began working with the Christian band "Higher Ground" and writing songs for Meadowgreen Music, a leading publisher of contemporary Christian music. "
May the words of this song be your testimony this week. May we magnify His name and give praise to Him for He alone is worthy.
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth.
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth.
O Lord, we praise your name.
O Lord, we magnify your name:
Prince of Peace, mighty God;
O Lord God Almighty.
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth.
O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth.
O Lord, we praise your name.
O Lord, we magnify your name:
Prince of Peace, mighty God;
O Lord God Almighty.
Listen to it here. MAJESTIC
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