Hymns: Majesty

I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy 😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the in-between hymns.

Today’s song is Majesty by Jack Hayford. It’s from 1977.

Majesty

Lyrics

I first sang the song in Cork, Ireland, around 1981. My most vivid memory of it was on a visit to Guildford in 1982. I went along to the Milmead Centre (Guildford Baptist Church) and they had a little band. And they sang a wonderful rendition of Majesty. Whenever I played it on the organ in church, I always tried to follow the style that I heard in Guildford. It’s generally slower in most YouTube videos that I’ve found. In my younger days, we always sung a much faster version.

It was hugely popular in Ireland in the late 20th Century. It’s quite a short song, with the same verse repeated several times, but it always makes me feel exhilarated. I knew little about the background of the song until I asked Microsoft Copilot. Here are some interesting facts about it:

Jack W. Hayford, an American pastor, composed it. He was a prolific songwriter who composed more than 400 hymns and musical works. He passed away in 2023.
Hayford and his wife wrote it on a visit to London in 1977, the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
It is based on passages such as Psalm 8:1 which emphasize the majestic nature of God. And all the glory directed to God the father is also directed towards Jesus.

I also came across this video about the song while searching for various versions.

Psalm 1:8
“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.”

1 Timothy 1:15 (Speaking of the Father)
God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

Revelation 17:14 (Speaking of the Son, the Lamb of God)
¹⁴They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.”

In the New Testament, prayers are generally directed to the Father in the name of Jesus. And the Holy Spirit provokes us to pray and assists us in prayer. But worship is directed to both the Father and Jesus, again, inspired by the Holy Spirit.

So many hymns touch on the theme of majesty. Here are just a few that I can think of off the top of my head:

So, let’s look at some interesting versions of the song. The first video that I placed above features the Gracias choir from South Korea. But it seems that the song is still widely known throughout the world: