JAC Online

Even Greater Things
by Captain Mark Braye

General Albert Orsborn served as the international leader of The Salvation Army from 1946-1954. He was a poet. His many songs and hymns in The Song Book of The Salvation Army are filled with rich quotations from and allusions to Scripture and wonderful elements of theology and the spiritual life.

General Orsborns hymns are sung weekly across the Army world. They help us tell our story, witness to the world and each other, and they remind us of our relationship with our Triune God.

One of my favorites is song number 769, referred to as “What a work the Lord has done” or, more commonly, “Greater things.”

Orsborn was a Captain when he penned these lyrics in the year 1908. He was stationed at Lowestoft II Corps with a fellow officer, a Lieutenant. Throughout the long and cold winter months of the year, there were few visitors to the Corps and attendance to Sunday worship would be smaller. This would discourage the officers. One morning, during prayers, the Lieutenant prayed: “Give us, O Lord, faith for greater things.”[1]

In a flurry of inspiration, Captain Orsborn wrote this song. It was published in The Field Officer in 1909 and later, after being revised, in The Musical Salvationist of March 1924. It was included in Salvation Army Songs in 1930 and editions of the Song Book ever since.[2]

More recently the song was covered, brilliantly I might add, by the American-Salvationist band transMission on their 2009 album The World for God. The lyrics to the hymn are beautiful. The three verses read:

      What a work the Lord has done

      By his saving grace;

      Let us praise him, every one,

      In his holy place.

      He has saved us glouriously,

      Led us onward faithfully,

      Yet he promised we would see

      Even greater things.

      Sanctify thy name, O Lord

      By thy people here

      For the altar of the sword

      Save us from our fear

      When the battle rages fast

      Help us in the fiery blast

      Let us not be overcast

      Prove thy greater things

      Every comrade, Lord, we pray

      Thou wilt richly bless

      Lead us forth into the fray

      One in holiness

      One in faith and harmony

      One in perfect charity;

      Then we know that we shall see

      Even greater things[3]

And the chorus states:

      Greater things! Greater things!

      Give us faith, O Lord, we pray,

      Faith for greater things.[4]

The famous lyrics and most direct quote from the Bible is the phrase and notion “greater things.”

Jesus is on his way to Galilee in John chapter one. He meets and asks Philip to follow him. Philip then goes and finds Nathanael. Nathanael approaches Jesus and Jesus says, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” Nathanael is surprised and asks, “How do you know me?”

Jesus answers: “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”  “Rabbi, you are the Son of God,” Nathanal said, “you are the King of Israel.”  Jesus responded with these words: “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that… I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”[5]

Much later in John’s Gospel, chapter fourteen, Christ is comforting his disciples in this exchange:  “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”  Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”  Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”  Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things            than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.[6]

This is a wonderful passage. Christ’s words, spoken to the disciples, but for us as well, provide inspiration and peace. They’re also challenging words. They challenge us to do “even greater things.”

Even greater things than has already been recorded in the Gospel According to John?

Let’s take a look at the “things” that have been recorded in John, as far as chapter fourteen:

        - Jesus turns water into wine in chapter two

        - Jesus acknowledges the fact he’s the Messiah and heals the official’s son in chapter four

        - He heals a man by a pool in chapter five

        - He feeds five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish and walks on water in John 6

        - Jesus heals a man born blind in chapter nine

        - He raises Lazarus from the dead in John 11

These are great things; these are exceptional things.

Jesus has promised his followers they “will do even greater things than these…”

How?

I believe the answer is found in the final words of the passage. Jesus’ followers “will do even greater things that these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

Christ is still the power source behind these “even greater things.” Jesus, now residing with the Father, will work through us and use us for “even greater things.”

“Lead us forth into the fray, one in holiness, one in faith and harmony, one in perfect charity; then we know that we shall see even greater things.”