Oh what a precious promise
Oh what a gift of love
An angel tells a virgin that
She's gonna have a son
And though it's a precious promise
She wonders how can this be
What will the people say
And what if Joseph can't believe
And her questions and her fears
Are met with an overwhelming joy
That God has chosen her
Oh what a precious promise
Mary waits as heaven comes to earth

Oh what a precious promise
Oh what a gift of love
Joseph makes his choice to do
What few men would have done
To take Mary as his bride
When she's already carrying a child
That isn't his own
Oh what a precious promise
Mary and the child will have a home

And the shepherds stand on a hillside
Their hearts racing with the new the angel told them
A star's light fills up the dark sky
As the night of precious promise is unfolding
Oh what a precious promise
Oh what a gift of love
The waiting now is over and
The time has finally come
For the God who made this world
To roll back the curtain
And unveil His passion for the heart of man
Oh what a precious promise
Lying in a manger in Bethlehem
Oh what a precious promise
Lying in a manger in Bethlehem

written by Steven Curtis Chapman c 1995 Sparrow Song/Peach Hill Songs (BMI) (admin. by EMI Christian Music Publishing)