Thy Word -- Amy Grant

It was a combination of at least two elements, with one of them something that many others had employed. But, another ingredient in “Thy Word” that this artist wrote in 1984 could not have been predicted. She could not have stumbled upon a method that included an incident like the one she found if she’d wanted to, for does anyone choose to be lost? Or how about danger…is that OK with you? The way this came about must have told her that it really was from a special, even divine, source. He works His will in unique ways, perhaps just so His servants cannot forget how He works to plant Himself inside each of us.

Amy Grant had been writing songs for several years by the time 1984 rolled around, and she’s kept going since that time, although whether she’s had any similar avenues for a song’s development is not clear. She was a 24-year old rising celebrity in the music industry that year, after having cut several albums in a span of seven years. Would she argue that it seemed as if God had shown her the path He intended for her? She met and began a lifelong friendship with Michael W. Smith, who coaxed her to consider putting some words to a melody that he’d composed. Smith had already suggested that some of the Psalmist’s words (119:105) worked well for the song’s main thought, but he admitted he had no ideas for the verses. That’s where Amy came in. Was it accidental that the two were in a wooded retreat in the Rocky Mountains, and Grant found herself in the dark one night, groping to find her cabin in an unfamiliar place? She’d left the recording studio and become lost; the words she wrote suggest she also had some fear pangs, as she anxiously crept through the wilderness without light. After all, were their cougars or other wildlife peering hungrily at her in the pitch black? Or, at least, almost pitch black. She eventually saw a small beam that turned out to be a lantern in her cabin’s window, and soon she was inside breathing easier. What would she have done without that small light?  And, as they say, the rest is history, including her singing the song the following day in that mountaintop studio.

Does God give us real-life physical episodes to reveal something of a deeper, personal level to us? Grant’s words in the verses she crafted after arriving in a warm, well-lit cabin from an apprehension-filled environment she’d experienced just moments before tell us that she sensed something more meaningful had been exposed for her. She confesses to having felt like a spiritual wanderer, even as she knew His presence and protection were near. It’s Him who lights the lamp, even as He knows it may not be visible without my lurching through the gloom, maybe in the wrong direction for a while. But, He hopes and rejoices when I squint and finally spot that tiny ray. In fact, that shaft of light’s always been there.

The song story is found here: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=16213

 

Information about the album on which the song first appears, from 1984: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_Ahead_%28Amy_Grant_album%29

 

All the original lyrics to the song: http://www.metrolyrics.com/thy-word-lyrics-amy-grant.html

 

Biography on composer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Grant

Breath of Heaven -- Amy Grant and Chris Eaton

She was 32 and was having her third child, or she was a teenager and having her first child. Depending on whom you think about when you hear Amy Grant’s and Chris Eaton’s collaborative effort “Breath of Heaven”, you might picture Amy on stage as she sang and recorded this song, or maybe it’s the young girl she would want you to see – Mary, the mother of God the Son. They’re 21 centuries apart, but both have known what it’s like to carry a life inside herself. In 1992, Grant heard the song by Eaton and knew she identified with it, albeit with some revisions. Her own pregnancy, her third with a daughter Sarah, was a gift, so in that way, she and Mary had something in common.

The story of the song’s development can be told no better than to read it at this link: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=14730

It’s about Mary’s emotions as she was near the time to give birth to the Christ-child. The chorus calls upon God as the ‘breath of heaven’, not something we hear very often (but pictured here in Corrado Giaquinto’s 18^th Century The Holy Spirit masterpiece). Is that what it’s like to carry life inside oneself, to feel that you’ve been breathed upon by the very holiness of Him? Believers have the Spirit as a gift, but so often it’s not that tangible, to be quite frank. But with an actual, physical, small life growing inside, that’s another matter. And, to know that, ultimately, He gives life, changes how a young woman might think too. After all, isn’t that part of why we humans consider childbirth so important, that He’s given us something precious? In Mary’s case, her sense of responsibility in bringing the baby in her womb into the world is certainly unique. So, perhaps it takes a woman who has borne life to come part of the way to connect with Mary. It was her third time, so maybe Amy Grant reached out with her accumulated child-bearing experience in this endeavor in 1992.    

The song by Grant and Eaton has served more than one purpose. Grant thinks of it as a prayer for mercy, as she explains in the 2001 book by the same name that she’s authored. It seems to make her reflect on how she connects with the audiences who gather to hear her sing, about how to pray for the masses who need God’s leniency. And, the song is also part of the 2006 movie The Nativity Story, whose screenwriter says he used the song at the start of each day for inspiration while writing the film’s screenplay. A song, a movie, and a book…how many other media might we try to get a handle on God’s breath, this Holy Spirit? Could working in a hospital maternity ward be another medium to get me closer to understanding how God breathes life into human form? How about working for His purpose wherever I am, asking to sense His work in me? Being with other believers, feeling the collaborative, collective surge of worship, is another way we make our small effort to find the breath of heaven, right? At Christmastime, reading, hearing, and seeing the birth story just reminds us that He really inhabits people, and something amazing did happen – and still does happen -- as a result. Hey, did you just take a breath…or was that Him?    

The following link also shows all of the verses and chorus of the song:

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=14730

See links here for biography of the composers:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Grant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Eaton_%28UK_musician%29

O Worship the King – Robert Grant

Robert Grant probably was probably accustomed to a big chair, if not a throne like a king might occupy. He was a governor of Bombay, India in the 19th Century, and was from a family familiar with power. His father, Charles Grant, also had been among India’s leadership, a member of the British Parliament, and a voice of influence in the Anglican Church. Robert’s adult life mirrored his father’s, from India, to Britain, and toward God. With such an upbringing, it might have been easy for Robert to assume position, and power, and even respect were his by default, perhaps even gifts from God. Yet, the song “O Worship the King” that we have from his pen shows that Grant appreciated God’s supremacy, His Kingship. Grant’s life-experience was laudable -- a medical college in Bombay bears his name – but the song gives us a better window on him than his resume might have. Grant re-worked in 1833 the lyrics that were first written by William Kethe for the Genevan Psalter printed in 1561; and, Grant’s song-poem was among several that his brother Charles had published in 1839, the year after Robert died in India. The verses I have known since childhood, and the less well-known words I have only just discovered, tell me something about Robert Grant, about his attitude. He doesn’t dwell on his own experience much, nor tries to say what God had done for him. No, the focus is on God’s attributes, about what makes Him worthy. That’s not really a surprise, is it? It wouldn’t be, if Grant were an otherwise obscure figure with ordinary talents, who needed to attach himself to something great and majestic. This was the soon-to-be Governor Grant of Bombay in 1834, and future member of Parliament. Humility -- it’s not exactly what I’d expect to find from a newsworthy, powerful governor, or some other public celebrity. Grant spends only a few words in one verse to describe each of us and himself as frail, feeble beings. Not much need for more words, is there? Part of Grant’s message is that I don’t need to say much to God to let Him know how I compare myself to Him. Did Robert Grant have some tough days in the office? Did subordinates come in with high expectations, but with problems he couldn’t solve? Probably, and maybe there were times when he felt like chuckin’ the job, the high position, and giving it to somebody else. That’s when I need my King most in my workday. Many times I’m just not smart enough to figure out things. He is. Perhaps pointing toward the King was how Robert Grant unburdened himself. Yes, I need to handle my responsibilities, but this King is my Perfection, too. Robert Grant reminds me He also is my Shield, Defender, Maker, Friend…in fact, what things is the King not able to be for me? He’s all the things I try - haphazardly - to be, but He’s perfect at them. That’s why He’s the King. Information on the song was obtained from the books “101 Hymn Stories”, by Kenneth W. Osbeck, Kregel Publications, 1982; “Amazing Grace – 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions”, by Kenneth W. Osbeck, 1990; and “The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs”, by William J. and Ardythe Petersen, 2006. Also see the following website for information on Grant and more verses to the song: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/w/owtking.htm