Sovereign Grace Music - I Stand In Awe Lyrics
Lyrics
Verse 1
You are beautiful beyond description
Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful for comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom?
Who can fathom the depth of Your love?
You are beautiful beyond description
Majesty, enthroned above
Chorus
And I stand, I stand in awe of You
I stand, I stand in awe of You
Holy God, to whom all praise is due
I stand in awe of You
Verse 2
You are beautiful beyond description
Yet God crushed You for my sin
In agony and deep affliction
Cut off that I might enter in
Who can grasp such tender compassion?
Who can fathom this mercy so free?
You are beautiful beyond description
Lamb of God who died for me
Video
I Stand In Awe (feat. Glenn Packiam) - Official Lyric Video
Meaning & Inspiration
Released on January 1, 2014, as part of the album *30: Three Decades of Songs for the Church*, Sovereign Grace Music’s “I Stand In Awe” emerges as a profoundly worshipful and theologically rich exploration of God’s majesty and mercy. This song stands as a testament to the collective's commitment to crafting worship music that not only stirs the affections but also grounds the worshiper deeply in biblical truth. At its heart, the song is a humble declaration, drawing us into a posture of wonder and adoration before a God who is both transcendent and intimately redemptive. It seeks to encapsulate the inexpressible greatness of the Creator and the astonishing depths of His saving love, inviting a response of reverent awe.
The initial verse immediately launches into the boundless attributes of God, painting Him as "beautiful beyond description" and "too marvelous for words." These opening lines echo the sentiment found in Psalm 145:3, which proclaims, “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable.” The song rightly points to the limits of human understanding, asking, “Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom? Who can fathom the depth of Your love?” This profound question mirrors the apostle Paul’s declaration in Romans 11:33, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!” It encourages a quiet humility, acknowledging that God’s wisdom and love far exceed our capacity to fully comprehend, leading us to simply worship Him as “Majesty, enthroned above.” This foundation of God’s incomprehensible glory sets the stage for the only fitting response.
The chorus then crystallizes this response into a direct, worshipful declaration: “And I stand, I stand in awe of You. Holy God, to whom all praise is due.” This simple, repeated phrase is a powerful act of surrender and recognition, aligning the worshiper with the heavenly beings who continually declare God’s holiness (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8). To stand in awe is to be struck by the overwhelming presence and character of God, a response that goes beyond mere admiration to profound reverence. It’s a posture that acknowledges God’s unique claim to all worship and praise, as He alone is holy and worthy. This movement from intellectual acknowledgement of God’s attributes to an experiential, embodied response of awe is central to the song's power.
Building upon this foundation, the second verse takes a pivot, moving from God’s general majesty to the specific, astonishing act of His redemptive love in Christ. While reiterating that God is “beautiful beyond description,” it introduces the jarring yet glorious truth: “Yet God crushed You for my sin.” This line is a direct echo of the prophecy in Isaiah 53:10 concerning the Suffering Servant, stating, “Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush Him; He has put Him to grief.” The song then elaborates on the cost of this salvation, detailing Christ’s suffering “in agony and deep affliction, Cut off that I might enter in.” This powerfully summarizes the substitutionary atonement, where Christ bore the penalty for sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) so that humanity might be reconciled to God (Ephesians 2:13). The questions that follow – “Who can grasp such tender compassion? Who can fathom this mercy so free?” – challenge us to confront the immeasurable grace of God, a grace that defies logic and human merit, as described in Ephesians 2:4-5: "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved." The verse culminates in the profound identification of Christ as the “Lamb of God who died for me,” a biblical image from John 1:29 that immediately brings to mind His perfect, atoning sacrifice.
Ultimately, “I Stand In Awe” is more than just a song; it’s a theological treatise set to music, carefully guiding the worshiper through the twin truths of God’s transcendent glory and His immanent, self-sacrificing love. It masterfully connects God’s unsearchable greatness with the personal, costly act of salvation, ensuring that our awe is not merely an abstract admiration but a deeply personal and grateful response to the Gospel. The song’s enduring message encourages a faith that is both intellectually robust and emotionally responsive, drawing us into a deeper worship that acknowledges both the Creator enthroned above and the Lamb who was slain for us. It stands as a powerful invitation to humility, adoration, and profound gratitude, continually reminding us of the God to whom all praise is truly due.