Saints, Behold How Great Jehovah
28

Text: Douglas W. Stott (b. 1925; LDS)
Music: A. Laurence Lyon (1934–2006; LDS)
Tune name: EDGAR

The Lord’s kingdom will spread throughout the earth, moving forth in spite of all pessimism, obstacles, and opposition. Signs and prophecies point toward the day when “heaven’s blessed King approaches.” This hymn, new to the 1985 hymnal, exults in the thought of that welcome time and admonishes all Saints to “lift up Zion’s standard.”

Author Douglas W. Stott said that in 1972, while he was listening to “a particularly inspiring general conference address about the dramatic growth of the Church, its activities, and the miraculous ways in which seeming barriers to missionary work have dissolved,” the words of this hymn began coming to his mind. Some fifteen years later, Douglas W. Stott was helping to establish Church programs in the West Indies, and thus he had a personal role in taking the gospel into areas that had seemed impossible to penetrate.

He noted further, “While on my mission I received a personal and very moving witness to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and have found that book to be not only the ‘keystone of our religion,’ as stated by Joseph Smith, but also a major key in unfolding for me significant insights into ancient biblical scripture.” It is not surprising that his hymn incorporates Old Testament imagery into Latter- day Saint hymnody: the Saints are the New Jerusalem, lifting up the standard of Zion. All prophecies are brought together “into one” to foretell the great events to come.

Composer A. Laurence Lyon said, “I wanted to write a short, energetic piece not unlike the spirited pieces of English origin, such as ‘For All the Saints’” (no. 82). The first two measures, with slight variation, constitute most of the hymn tune— six measures out of a total of eight. Because of this, congregations should feel secure when singing the melody for the first time.

The composer dedicated the tune to the memory of his father, T. Edgar Lyon, and named the tune EDGAR in his honor.