"Awesome God" is a

contemporary worship Contemporary worship is a form of Christian worship that emerged within Western evangelical Protestantism in the 20th century. It was originally confined to the charismatic movement, but is now found in a wide range of churches, including ...

song written by

Rich Mullins Richard Wayne Mullins (October 21, 1955 – September 19, 1997) was an American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter best known for his contemporary worship music, worship songs "Awesome God" and "Sometimes by Step". Some of his ...

and first recorded on his 1988 album, '' Winds of Heaven, Stuff of Earth''. It was the first single from the album and rose to the number one spot on Christian AC radio and subsequently became a popular congregational song. Its title is inspired by a

biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

expression (

Nehemiah Nehemiah (; ''Nəḥemyā'', "Yahweh, Yah comforts") is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work in rebuilding Jerusalem during the Second Temple period as the governor of Yehud Medinata, Persian Judea under Artaxer ...

1:5, Nehemiah 9:32, Psalm 47, Daniel 9:4, etc.), variously translated as "Awesome God", ( JPS, in the old-fashioned meaning "awe-inspiring"), "great" ( KJV), among other alternatives. Due to the popularity of the song, it became Mullins'

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

. It was also used in the 2021 Netflix movie A Week Away.

Commentary

Mullins did not consider the song to be one of his best. In an interview with ''The Lighthouse Electronic Magazine'' in April 1996, he said:

You know, the thing I like about Awesome God is that it's one of the worst-written songs that I ever wrote; it's just poorly crafted. But the thing is that sometimes, I think, that when you become too conscientious about being a songwriter, the message becomes a vehicle for the medium. This is a temptation that I think all songwriters have. I think a great songwriter is someone who is able to take a very meaningful piece of wisdom — or of folly or whatever — and say it in a way that is most likely to make people respond. But, what you want them to respond to is not how cleverly you did that; what you want them to respond to is your message.

Cover versions

Over a year after Mullins' death (in September 1997) the song was covered on a tribute album for Mullins entitled ''Awesome God: A Tribute to Rich Mullins'' by fellow

Contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christianity, Chri ...

ian,

Michael W. Smith Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957) is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian music, contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when "Place in This Worl ...

. Numerous other Christian artists have performed versions in numerous styles, from ska to swing to rock and traditional worship style, even

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

and heavy metal by the bands Unashamed and Pantokrator. On April 11, 2025, Phil Wickham released an updated version of the song, titled “What An Awesome God.”

References

External links

Awesome God
lyrics {{authority control Contemporary Christian songs 1988 songs Songs written by Rich Mullins Reunion Records singles