Hillsong Worship - King of Kings Lyrics
Released: 23 Aug 2019
Lyrics
VERSE 1:
In the darkness we were waiting
Without hope without light
Till from heaven You came running
There was mercy in Your eyes
To fulfil the law and prophets
To a virgin came the Word
From a throne of endless glory
To a cradle in the dirt
CHORUS:
Praise the Father
Praise the Son
Praise the Spirit three in one
God of glory
Majesty
Praise forever to the King of Kings
VERSE 2:
To reveal the kingdom coming
And to reconcile the lost
To redeem the whole creation
You did not despise the cross
For even in Your suffering
You saw to the other side
Knowing this was our salvation
Jesus for our sake You died
VERSE 3:
And the morning that You rose
All of heaven held its breath
Till that stone was moved for good
For the Lamb had conquered death
And the dead rose from their tombs
And the angels stood in awe
For the souls of all who’d come
To the Father are restored
VERSE 4:
And the Church of Christ was born
Then the Spirit lit the flame
Now this gospel truth of old
Shall not kneel shall not faint
By His blood and in His Name
In His freedom I am free
For the love of Jesus Christ
Who has resurrected me
Video
King of Kings (Live) - Hillsong Worship
Meaning & Inspiration
I keep thinking about the line where it says He came running. It’s a strange image, honestly, to think of God leaving glory like that, but then I remember the story of the prodigal son where the father runs toward the child who has nothing left. That feels right. It ties into how the lyrics describe Him moving from a throne to a cradle in the dirt, which is just a brutal way to put it, but that’s the reality of the incarnation, isn’t it? John 1 says the Word became flesh and lived among us, and this song doesn't shy away from how low He went. It makes the transition from the "throne of endless glory" to the "cradle in the dirt" feel like a massive, heavy shift.
It makes me wonder if we really grasp the cost. The lyrics mention that He "did not despise the cross," which brings me back to Hebrews where it says He endured the cross for the joy set before Him. The song says He "saw to the other side" of that suffering, and that’s a tough thing to hold onto. It’s easy to focus on the pain, but the theology here pushes me to consider that there was a purpose in the dying, a restoration of the lost. I’m sitting here trying to reconcile how the Lamb who conquered death is also the one who died for my sake, and it's a lot to take in. It feels grounded in the actual arc of Scripture—from the prophets to the resurrection—but there’s this tension in knowing I’m the reason He had to be there in the first place. I don’t know if I’ll ever fully wrap my head around why He would choose to be the one to bridge that gap, or if that’s even something I’m supposed to fully solve. It’s just heavy.