How Great Thou Art

How Great Thou Art: (The story and message of this hymn).

This hymn describes God the Creator’s Creation. Rev. Carl Boberg, a young minister in Monsteras, Sweden originally wrote this great and popular hymn in 1886. His inspiration for this hymn for this hymn came from a visit to a beautiful country estate son the southeast coast of Sweden. While on a visit to this region, he was suddenly caught in a midday thunderstorm with awe-inspiring moments. As soon as the storm was over, there was a clear brilliant sun. Soon after that he heard the calm, sweet songs of the birds in nearby trees.

This experience prompted him to fall to his knees in humble adoration of his mighty God the Creator of the universe. He wrote a nine-stanza poem beginning with the Swedish words, “O Store Gud” (O Great God). This song was translated into German, Russian and in 1933 British missionaries Rev. Stuart K. Hine and his wife translated this hymn into English from the Russian version. Today we sing this version of the hymn entitled; “How Great Thou Art” The tune for this hymn is an arrangement made of an old Swedish folk melody. Crusades held in various parts of the world by Billy Graham Evangelistic Association made this hymn one of the most popular and beloved hymns in Christendom.

Message of this Hymn:

Verse1. God’s Power:

We sing of the grandeur of God’s power. The 8th psalm describes the greatness of God’s power. “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place” (Psalm 8:1-3)

Verse 2: The Beauty of God’s Creation:

Once again we see the sentiments and facts expressed in this verse are so close to the closing part of Psalm 8. You made “all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8: 7-9).

Verse 3: God’s Love and Sacrificial Death of Jesus Christ:

This verse states the heart of the Gospel as recorded in John 3:16. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” This stanza reflects the thoughts of Isaiah. “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4). When we stand at the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, our hearts will be overwhelmed, our eyes will be filled with tears, there will be a lump in our throat and we think of the Great God we have. What a privilege to have such a God! Praise the Lord.

Verse 4: Christ’s Second Coming and Our Preparation for it:

Today we are living in days that point to the Second Coming of our Lord. We do not know when, but He will certainly come back one day and take us believers to heaven so that we will always be where He is. What at glorious future we have! Naturally we burst out, “Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee, how great Thou art, how great Thou art!”

O Lord my God

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the works Thy hands have made

I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder

Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul my Savior

God to Thee

How great Thou art!

How great Thou art!