The Wonder of the Cross – 40 Days with the Music of Vicky Beeching
Day 12 – Tuesday after Lent 2 – Majesty & Mystery (Awesome God)
To Read:
From the Scriptures:
27 We could say more but could never say enough;
let the final word be: “He is the all.”
28 Where can we find the strength to praise him?
For he is greater than all his works.
29 Awesome is the Lord and very great,
and marvellous is his power.
30 Glorify the Lord and exalt him as much as you can,
for he surpasses even that.
When you exalt him, summon all your strength,
and do not grow weary, for you cannot praise him enough.
31 Who has seen him and can describe him?
Or who can extol him as he is?
32 Many things greater than these lie hidden,
for I have seen but few of his works.
33 For the Lord has made all things,
and to the godly he has given wisdom.
(Sirach 43v27-33)
From Vicky Beeching:
Majesty And Mystery (Awesome God)
Your voice is the voice that
Commanded the universe to be
Your voice is the voice that
Is speaking words of love to me
How can it be?
Awesome God, Holy God
I worship You with wonder
Awesome God, Holy God
As You draw near I´m humbled
By Your majesty and the mystery
Of Your great love for me
Your arms are, the arms that
Hung shining stars in deepest space
Your arms are, the arms that
Surround me in a warm embrace
Amazing grace
Chorus – repeats
To Listen:
To Reflect:
One of the things I am really enjoying about writing these reflections on the songs of Vicky Beeching is that I’m not spending as much time ‘searching the Scriptures’ as I usually do each Lent. Not that I’m at all adverse to paging through my old school Bible (or brand-new search engine…). It’s just that Vicky’s words drip with the words of our Beloved and it is an absolute joy to not have to scratch my head day-by-day to find a relevant passage. Vicky, in her deep devotion has already done that work for us.
Would that each of us would learn this holy habit of reading the Word before saying, or singing, anything at all!
(Note from Day 12: this is where my cherished wife who always rises for her Quiet Time long before me, nods sagely and reminds me that ‘the early bird catches The Word…)
Today’s words from the Book of Sirach[1] depart from the usual format of the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament overflowing with pithy sayings and homespun advice. Having in earlier chapters laid out helpful rules for ordering society and learning from the example of the faithful the author gets down to basics.
Yes, order your life and your family in accordance with God’s commands. Respect those who help make the community work. Learn from the example of others. And after all that is done you may begin to see who is behind it all praise this awesome God whose;
….arms that
Hung shining stars in deepest space
Surround me in a warm embrace
Amazing grace
How on earth, or heaven for that matter, does the One whose power is so great that, ‘without [whom] nothing was made that has been made.’ (John 1v3) stoop down to surround us in such a gentle, loving and warm embrace?
It’s almost as if Alladin’s Genie with ‘Phenomenal Cosmic Powers’ is not only content, but chooses to live in the ‘Itty bitty living space’ that is our hearts. To be humbled is the least of the responses we should be making!
How do we respond to such profligacy? I reckon Vicky nails it on the head again:
Awesome God, Holy God
I worship You with wonder
Awesome God, Holy God
As You draw near I´m humbled
By Your majesty and the mystery
Of Your great love for me.
We don’t deserve this love but we are loved anyway. The least we can do is respond with words of praise and aim to live lives of service.
To Pray:
Worthy of praise from every mouth,
of confession from every tongue,
of worship from every creature,
is Thy glorious Name, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost:
who didst create the world in Thy grace
and by Thy compassion didst save the world.
To Thy majesty, O God,
ten thousand times ten thousand
bow down and adore,
Singing and praising without ceasing,
and saying
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts;
Heaven and earth are full of Thy praises;
Hosanna in the highest.
(Nestorian Liturgy)
To Do:
Sometime before the end of Lent read The Book of Sirach.
(If you do not have a version of it to hand it may be found here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Sirach%201&version=NRSVUE
Going Further…
Sing or listen to another song of praise which reminds us of our humility in front of the greatness of God. Being a proud Englishman I look no further than Kenneth Branagh and Henry V….
oooOOOooo
If you would like to find out more about Vicky and her work here is a link to her Wikipedia entry. For a fuller picture her autobiography ‘Undivided’ is highly recommended.
Please Note: These reflections are also published on my blog: suffolkvicarhomes.com on Bluesky as @suffolkvicar.bsky.social, and on my public Facebook page Suffolk Vicar – Rev Andrew Dotchin.
If you would like them as a daily email please send a request to revdotchin@gmail.com
If you have enjoyed reading them please make a donation to The Clergy Support Trust who provide generous grants to help clergy.
Acknowledgements:
These Reflections, ‘The Wonder of the Cross – 40 Days with the Music of Vicky Beaching’ are copyright © Andrew Dotchin 2026 and may be reproduced without charge on condition that their source is acknowledged.
All of the music on the video clips are from YouTube and are © Vicky Beeching.
If you enjoy listening to her songs please consider buying her recordings. A full discography and other information about Vicky can be found on her website vickybeeching.com.
Scripture quotations are from The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Prayers are from A Diary of Prayer compiled by Elizabeth Goudge and are copyright © 1966 The Estate of Elizabeth Goudge.
[1] For those unfamiliar with the books between the Old and New Testaments books here is a description: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Sirach
Suffolk Vicar 