Words
1.
You who call forth light, You who spread the skies,
You who rule the seas and mark how far they rise;
Refrain
You are God! You alone are God!
You are God! You alone are God!
2.
You who form the seed, You who plant the vine,
You who name the stars and order all of time;
[Refrain]
3.
You who fill with life ocean, sky, and land;
You who breathe on dust and raise a wondrous man;
[Refrain]
4.
You who took on flesh, You who had no pride,
You who bore the cross and call us to your side;
[Refrain]
About the Words
Days of Creation
The first three verses recall the days of creation as described in Genesis 1:
- Day 1: light (Gen 1:3-5)
- Day 2: sky (Gen 1:6-8)
- Day 3: sea and land, plants and trees (Gen 1:9-13)
- Day 4: sun, moon, stars (Gen 1:14-19)
- Day 5: fish, birds (Gen 1:20-23)
- Day 6: animals, man and woman (Gen 1:24-27)
Some of the specific phrases, however, carry additional meaning:
“You who rule the seas”
In verse 1, the phrase “You who rule the seas”:
- recalls the Exodus and the crossing of the Red Sea (cf. Ps 89:5-11; Ex 14:1-15:21).
- recalls the new Exodus led by Jesus, the One who can speak and the wind and waves obey him (cf. Mark 4:35-41).
- alludes to the ultimate conquering of evil and death, as symbolically represented by "the sea" in Revelation (cf. Rev 21:1).
“You who plant the vine”
In verse 2, the phrase “You who plant the vine”:
- recalls God's creation of the nation of Israel, described in the Old Testament as God's vine or vineyard (cf. Ps 80:8; Isa 5:1-7)
- alludes to God's creation of the new people of God, the new Israel, in Jesus. He is the vine, and we are the branches (cf. John 15:1-17).
“You who breathe on dust and raise a wondrous man”
In verse 3, the phrase “You who breathe on dust and raise a wondrous man”:
- recalls the creation of Adam from the ground (cf. Gen 2:7)
- recalls the resurrection of Jesus (cf. Acts 13:29-39)
- recalls our own spiritual resurrection and change of life as Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit (cf. John 20:22; 1 Cor 6:19-20; Rom 5:1-5; 6:4)
- looks forward to the future when God will resurrect our bodies us from death (1 Cor 6:14; 15:35-58)
Jesus' New Creation
The final verse, when sung after the first three verses, reminds us that Jesus
is himself God, the creator, just as John emphasizes in the prologue of his
gospel (John 1:1-5). And yet, incredibly, he is also the one who humbled himself
to live among us and die for us so that we could be with him (Php 2:5-8; 3:14).
Indeed, this work of Jesus is the greatest act of creation of all, because in
his death and resurrection he calls us to follow him and be recreated in his own
image (2 Cor 5:17).
“You alone are God”
Finally, the repeated phrase “You alone are God” emphasizes that God, and God
alone, is capable of such creative activity, a point made repeatedly in
scripture (such as Ex 15:11; Deut 6:4; 1 Ki 18:39; Ps 86:8-10; 89:8-9; Isa
37:14-20; 44:6-8; etc.).