Good News in Song - What a Mighty God We Serve!

Since writing the introduction to my blog series "Good News in Song" last Saturday, my brain and heart have been on high gear as they sort through a long list of favorite hymns in an effort to locate the perfect song for week one.

In the end, I thought it best to write about my earliest hymn memory: "What a Mighty God We Serve!" by Barney Warren and Clara M. Brooks. I believe that this was one of the first hymns I learned to sing, both in the pew on Sunday mornings and in Vacation Bible School. Not only was it my first hymn, but it also remained a favorite through the years.

Why was this my favorite? I believe the marching tempo and catchy tune drew me in initially, but the most important factor might have been my dad's tenor voice echoing each phrase of the refrain, as in, "What a mighty God we serve (we serve)." When we sang songs in the car, he would do the same thing, and I reveled in it.

You will not find this hymn in very many hymnals because it is known as a Church of God (Anderson) heritage hymn. Barney Warren was one of the most prolific hymn writers of the Church of God movement, and I learned some interesting tidbits about his life in the book Heavenly Song by Kathleen Buehler.

• Being from a particularly musical family and being one of ten children, Warren's family enjoyed singing together as a double quartet. They especially enjoyed singing the hymns of the church.
• Warren studied musical harmony and theory intensely and therefore was able to write from his heart and his head.
• Warren wrote a total of 7,000 gospel songs. Often he composed the melodies, but he could write lyrics as well.

What a Mighty God We Serve!

1. Our Father’s wondrous works we see
   In the earth and sea and sky;
   He rules o’er all in majesty,
   From His royal throne on high.
   • Refrain:
     What a mighty God we serve!
     What a mighty God we serve!
     Reigning now above, on His throne of love,
     What a mighty God we serve!
2. The raging winds and waves are calm,
   When He says to them, “Be still”;
   The heavens praise Him in a psalm,
   And the angels do His will.
3. He maketh worlds by His command,
   Weighs the mountains great and high;
   He metes the waters in His hand,
   Spans the lofty, starlit sky.
4. Our God, to save from sin’s control,
   Gave His Son: a sacrifice;
   His grace, abounding in the soul,
   Makes the earth a paradise.
5. Click here for more information on the hymn and a midi file of the melody.

What is your earliest hymn memory?