“Beyond All Knowing”
Lyrics: “Beyond All Knowing”
Amazing God, how can I know
The One from whom all life does flow?
O Word, what time began your love
When o'er the deep your Spirit moved?
I see you in the things you made,
The triune Godhead there displayed;
The One in Three and Three in One,
You - Father, Spirit, Christ the Son.
From where Lord, blows the wind your breath
That rustles leaves with power and stealth?
What chamber yours sent forth the sun
As bridegroom strong his race to run?
Jesus, when did I see you first?
Who touched my eyes and made me thirst?
What living water, broken bread
Breathed life within as I lay dead?
Your sovereign arms surround me here
When troubled deep by anxious fear:
I'll lift my eyes up to the hills
From there my help, my comfort fills.
Beyond all Knowing is my God,
Yet this I trust, his dear Son trod
My broken path, and loved me more
Than time and space could fill by far.
About the Song
"Beyond All Knowing" is a simple, contemplative folk ballad that grew out of a peaceful afternoon spent watching the small details of life in my garden. I found myself deeply moved by the quiet resilience of fragile petals facing the wind and the delicate flicker of small birds resting on the branches - precarious yet secure. This song is an unadorned expression of wonder at the vast wisdom and deliberate design of our Creator. It explores the beautiful paradox that the transcendent God of the cosmos is also intimately present with us—sheltering us in our moments of deepest anxiety, and humbling Himself to walk our broken human paths out of a love that defies all measure.
Scripture References & Reflections
"Amazing God, how can I know / The One from whom all life does flow?"
Job 36:26 / Acts 17:25 — We begin in quiet reverence of a God whose greatness is unsearchable. He is the ultimate fountainhead of creation, giving to all mankind life and breath and everything.
"O Word, what time began your love / When o'er the deep your Spirit moved?"
Genesis 1:2 / John 1:1-2 — Looking back to the very dawn of creation. In the beginning was the Word, existing in perfect love before time, while the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
"I see you in the things you made / The triune Godhead there displayed;"
Romans 1:20 / Psalm 19 — The natural world acts as a silent witness to its Maker. His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world.
"The One in Three and Three in One / You - Father, Spirit, Christ the Son."
2 Corinthians 13:14 / Isaiah 48:16 — A simple, profound focus on the Trinity. We worship one God in three Persons, resting in the grace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
"From where Lord, blows the wind your breath / That rustles leaves with power and stealth?"
Ecclesiastes 11:5 / John 3:8 — Remembering Jesus’ words that the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from. So it is with the quiet, powerful movement of the Spirit.
"What chamber yours sent forth the sun / As bridegroom strong his race to run?"
Malachi 4:2 / Psalm 19:4-5 — This line draws directly from the imagery of the Psalms, where the heavens declare the glory of God and the sun comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, running its course with joy.
"Jesus, when did I see you first / Who touched my eyes and made me thirst?"
John 9:25 / John 7:37 — Reflecting on the gift of spiritual awakening. Once we were spiritually blind, but Jesus mercifully opened our eyes and invited everyone who thirsts to come to Him.
"What living water, broken bread / Breathed life within as I lay dead?"
Ephesians 2:4-5 / John 6:35 — Scripture reminds us that even when we were dead in our trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ. He sustains this new life as the Bread of Life and Living Water.
"Your sovereign arms surround me here / When troubled deep by anxious fear"
Deuteronomy 33:27 / Philippians 4:6-7 — A shift to intimate comfort. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms, guarding our hearts and minds against anxious fears.
"I'll lift my eyes up to the hills / From there my help, my comfort fills."
Psalm 121:1-2 / Luke 21:28 / Hebrews 12:1-2 — The thematic anchor of the ballad. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
"Beyond all Knowing is my God / Yet this I know, his dear Son trod"
Isaiah 55:9 / Philippians 2:7 — For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways. Yet, the great mystery of grace is that Christ emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant.
"My broken path and loved me more / Than time and space could fill by far."
Galatians 2:20 / Romans 8:39 — We close on the foundational truth of the Gospel: walking our dust-bound human paths in the embrace of a love so vast that absolutely nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from it.
