Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised…Glory and honor are in His presence; strength and gladness are in His place.
1 Chronicles 16:25–27
Words & Music: Ralph P. Merrifield & Leonard E. Smith, 1993 & 1996. Arranged by Louis Webb (🔊 pdf nwc).
SPLENDOR AND MAJESTY
© 1996 New Jerusalem Music
PO Box 225, Clarksboro, NJ 08020 (609) 423-8844.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
I originally wrote Splendor and Majesty in 1993…and modified it while navigating bumper-to-bumper commuter traffic on Route 128 (just south of Boston, Massachusetts)! Brentwood Music in Nashville showed an early interest in the song, but they didn’t have any projects in the works that matched the style.
In the Spring of 1996, Lenny Smith called to see if I’d like to do some co-writing with him (New Hope and New Jerusalem Music happened to be next to each other alphabetically in the CCLI Publishers List!) After listening to all my recordings, he asked permission to reshape the lyrics and melody of Splendor and Majesty, and that is how it came to have its current form.
Ralph Merrifield
Splendor and majesty are before You!
Strength and joy are in Your dwelling place!
Mercy and kindness, full of forgiveness!
Great are You, Lord, honored and worthy of praise!
Splendor and majesty! Honor and Glory!
Holy are You, O, Lord, Lamb of God!
Your love exceeds our fondest dreams,
Your power conquers ev’rything.
Grace and truth flow from Your throne—
Awesome God! Awesome God!
Repeat