The Word Of The Lord

Donald Lawrence's “The Word Of The Lord” is a short gospel declaration about the power of Scripture. The first lines state that the word of the Lord is great and eternal and will last from age to age. The second says it is great and powerful, and that he honors it above his name.

The middle of the song is a list of Bible references spoken aloud, as if building a case: the first chapter of John, John 1 and 1, Isaiah 55 and 11, John 6 and 63, Jeremiah 1 and 12. Along the way the singers recite Isaiah's promise that the word will go forth and will not return void, that it will accomplish what God pleases and prosper in the thing for which it was sent. The structure gives a congregation something to recite along with the choir, and it points listeners back to the texts themselves. The song is built from chant and response more than melody, so it needs a strong group of voices to carry it. It fits a service that opens the Bible together, a teaching night, a choir rehearsal or a personal reading plan, and it can introduce a sermon on the authority of Scripture. Its main point is plain: the word of God does what it says, and the believer can lean on it.

The Word with God at the beginning is John 1:1. A word that does not return empty is Isaiah 55:11, and the living, active word is Hebrews 4:12.