Lyrics (click here to hear instrumental)
O Lord my God, When I, in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.Chorus:
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!When through the woods and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on a Cross, my burdens gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!”Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
Carl Boberg translated into english by Stuart K. Hine
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
The History Behind the Hymn
‘How Great Thou Art’ is a Christian hymn which started life as a poem set to a Swedish melody.
The poem, ‘O Store Gud’ (O Great God), was written by the Swedish poet and lay minister, Carl Boberg, in 1885. According to hymnologist J. Irving Erickson, the poem is said to be inspired from a sudden violent thunderstorm which Boberg was caught in on his way home from church.
After the storm had cleared, and Boberg had returned home, he opened his window and looked out towards the sea. The evening was quiet, and Boberg could hear the sound of church bells. It was these sights and sounds that inspired the words of ‘O Store Gud’.
The lyrics were matched with a traditional Swedish folk song and first sung in a church in 1888, three years after the poem was written.
As the hymn’s popularity gained momentum, the lyrics began to spread across the world. British missionary Stuart K. Hine translated the lyrics into English. His translation was actually done from Russian lyrics, which were a translation of German lyrics, which were a translation of the original Swedish lyrics.
Hine also added two original verses of his own to the 1949 translation, which still feature in the lyrics today.
A Lesson for Me
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Psa 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Psa 105:2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works.
Whenever I hear this hymn, tears come to my eyes. There is no greater hymn that will make a heart tender toward the Creator. His beautiful and wonderful works never see to amaze me. The internet has helped me to see the Lord’s beautiful creation all over the world. I love to put those 4K videos on YouTube that are set to music. They take me all around the world while sitting in my living room!
The Creator of it all has a lot more in store for us than what we see and hear on this earth!
When through the woods and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Message for today
For the born-again believer, there is coming a time when we will see new things and hear new sounds that no one has ever seen or heard! We are promised this!
Isa 64:4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
To those who do not want anything to do with God, this special place will not be available to you. Hell is a real place described as burning, darkness, torment, and the first death. Once God calls an unbeliever out of Hell at the Great White Throne Judgment, He will review every opportunity to be saved with that person. He will reveal every known and secret sin. Everything will be laid open with nothing to hide. Then He will see if that unbeliever’s name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life; of course, that name won’t be there. It is at that time that the unbeliever will experience a second death and will be cast into the Lake of Fire for all eternity. That moment’s reprieve from burning in Hell will be replaced with an eternity in the Lake of Fire. Friend, don’t be deceived by the world’s attractions. Their pleasures last for a split second in comparison to eternity.
Today’s hymn reveals what Christ did for the unsaved. The Father sent His Son (John 3:16-17) to pay the price for your sins. Jesus bore your shame and sin because it was impossible for you to pay the penalty yourself.
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on a Cross, my burdens gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
But for the born-again believer, that second time (Jesus’ Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation) will be a glorious event!
When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!”
So what is it for you? Will you be ashamed at His Coming or will you be rejoicing? If you are not truly born-again, there is coming a time when it will be too late for you to repent and be saved. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
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