The song Shine Jesus Shine has been the UK's most popular contemporary worship song and is frequently featured in the BBC's Songs of Praise programme. He is married with four daughters and lives in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Graham received a Dove Award in 1995 for his international work and is listed in Who's Who. In 2000 he received an honorary doctorate in divinity from Brunel University in recognition of his contribution to the worship life of the church.
Graham is a co-founder of March for Jesus. This prayer, praise and proclamation event became global on June 25th 1994, with over 12 million people from 177 nations taking to the streets to proclaim their faith in Jesus Christ. His recent album What Grace was the UK's number 1 best selling praise and worship album of 2001.
God Is Great
Graham Kendrick Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come, let his praises ring
God is great, astounding!
The whole creation sings
His clothing is splendour and majesty bright
For He wraps himself in a garment of light
He spreads out the heavens, his palace of stars
What marvellous wisdom the Maker displays
The sea vast and spacious, the dolphins and whales
The earth full of creatures, the great and the small
He watches and cares for them all
The rain forest canopies darken the skies
Cathedrals of mist that resound with the choirs
Of creatures discordant, outrageous, ablaze
In colourful pageants of praise
Above his creation the Father presides
The pulse of the planets, the rhythm of tides
The moon marks the seasons, the day follows night
Yet he knows every beat of my heart
Let cannons of thunder salute their acclaim
The sunsets fly glorious banners of flame
The angels shout 'holy' again and again
As they soar in the arch of the heavens
The song "God Is Great" by Graham Kendrick is a powerful testimony to the magnificence of God and his creation. The opening lines immediately express the awe-inspiring qualities of God, calling us to join in with the praise of his greatness. The subsequent lyric describes how everything from the earth to the stars, from the sea to the skies, all praise God and celebrate his greatness.
The song quickly moves on to describing how God's majestic clothing is splendour and bright. The lyrics describe how God wraps Himself in a garment of light, and spreads out the heavens, his palace of stars. The next verse describes the wonderful wisdom of God, as displayed in His creation; the sea, the earth, the creatures, the great and the small. Although all of these things are vast and astonishing, God cares about each of them individually. The bridge is a call to worship and rejoicing, a colorful pageant of creatures and angels lifting their praises to the Lord.
Furthermore, the song states a message that all creation is a reflection of God's magnificent handiwork, which He designed with incredible care and attention to detail. In all moments of the day, the universe reflects his glory, and he knows every beat of our hearts. The final verse of the song describes the splendorous sky and exhorts the listener to join in the chorus of praise. The song's message is a call to all creation to give praise and worship to the Creator, who is great and deserving of all our adoration.
Line by Line Meaning
God is great, amazing!
God's greatness is beyond our comprehension and is truly astonishing.
Come, let his praises ring
We should all join together in singing the praises of God.
God is great, astounding!
God's greatness is truly astounding and awe-inspiring.
The whole creation sings
All of creation, from the animals to the planets, sings the praises of God.
His clothing is splendour and majesty bright
God is wrapped in a garment of light that is splendid and majestic.
For He wraps himself in a garment of light
God surrounds himself in light that is dazzling and bright.
He spreads out the heavens, his palace of stars
God has created the heavens as his palace, adorned with stars.
And rides on the wings of the wind
God transcends human limitations and can travel on the wings of the wind.
What marvellous wisdom the Maker displays
God's incredible wisdom is evident in all of his creations.
The sea vast and spacious, the dolphins and whales
God's creations include the vast and spacious sea, as well as creatures like dolphins and whales.
The earth full of creatures, the great and the small
God has filled the earth with creatures both large and small.
He watches and cares for them all
God's love and care extends to all of his creations.
The rain forest canopies darken the skies
The canopies of the rain forest create a dark and mystical atmosphere.
Cathedrals of mist that resound with the choirs
The misty atmosphere of the rain forest is like a cathedral, filled with the sound of choirs.
Of creatures discordant, outrageous, ablaze
The sounds of the creatures in the rain forest are both chaotic and beautiful, creating a fiery atmosphere.
In colourful pageants of praise
The creatures in the rain forest celebrate and praise God in a beautiful display of color and pageantry.
Above his creation the Father presides
God watches over his creations from above, like a father watching over his children.
The pulse of the planets, the rhythm of tides
God has created the planets with a pulse and the tides with a rhythm, indicating his incredible power and design.
The moon marks the seasons, the day follows night
The moon and the cycles of day and night are all part of God's plan for his creations.
Yet he knows every beat of my heart
Despite presiding over all of creation, God still knows and cares for the individual heartbeats of every person.
Let cannons of thunder salute their acclaim
The sounds of thunder can be seen as a salute to the greatness of God.
The sunsets fly glorious banners of flame
Sunsets can be seen as banners of flame, proclaiming the glory of God.
The angels shout 'holy' again and again
The angels continuously praise God, declaring his holiness.
As they soar in the arch of the heavens
The angels soar through the heavens, praising God and rejoicing in his glory.
Contributed by Katherine J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Matt Seymour
Great song Graham, we used to sing this at church, always thought it was written well. Keep up the good work
bill howbert
a great song of praise.....I remember steve and velveeta thompson singin it.
Nelvin Nsude
Hi Graham, please can you kindly post this song : And His Love Goes On (Look what God has done for us) . Thanks