How Majestic Is Your Name - Michael W. Smith

Do you remember what you were doing in 1981? I bet that Michael W. Smith recalls 1981. He might even say that this period was a defining moment in his life, the time when he wrote “How Majestic Is Your Name”. Smith was searching for direction after he graduated from high school in mid-1970’s West Virginia, but at first he found only blind alleys. College didn’t fit him, and his subsequent journey to Nashville, where he thought he had discovered a calling in the music industry, instead left him hooked on drugs. He was just 22 years old in 1979, and sinking fast when he finally prayed for a U-turn in his life. From that pit, perhaps, to where he began to grow in confidence and productivity, sprang the song that he wrote. It was an echo of a song written centuries earlier by another songwriter who knew what it was like to struggle, but who also knew what it was like to feel God’s saving hand.

Michael W. Smith soon met Deborah, his musical collaborator and future wife, and together they composed several songs, earning Smith a position with Meadowgreen Music as a writer in 1981. Smith must have been walking with a skip, huh? Who wouldn’t when relationships, both personally and professionally, are blossoming? The words of Smith’s song that same year make it apparent that he also must have been into God’s word, copying King David’s poem from Psalm 8:1 to create a melody for 20th century (and now 21st century) Christians. Now, thanks to Smith, when I hum the words to his song “How Majestic Is Your Name” I’m reminding myself of a bit of truth from His message to me. ‘What a Creator we have!’ I’m reminded, and He made me too. I matter to Him.

Some suggest that David might have sat in a pasture field at night, gazing at the stars, marveling at God’s creation when he wrote Psalm 8. While David was lauding God for creating, Michael W. Smith might have praised Him for re-creating. His life was in a pit just a few years earlier. Though it would be many years before he became a real star, no one would blame Smith in 1981 if he gave God credit for recreating his life. Almost everyone can probably remember a time when things were rough, maybe even critical, followed by some relief. The reverse may also be true, and that’s the scary part. If it’s great today, there’s always the chance it may fall apart for me tomorrow. And, it’s out there, the inevitable end of my mortality. Even for me, a believer, I don’t easily dwell on this. Creation is somehow always followed by extinction. But, only for a moment, because of God. Blessedly, the eternal recreation is also inevitable. So, today I extol Him for creating and recreating me, and for sustaining me tomorrow and forever.

 See the following sites for information about Michael W. Smith’s biography: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3430200066.html http://www.americansongwriter.com/2001/03/michael-w-smith-smiths-songs-reach-diverse-audience/