December 27, 2022
How Great Thou Art
Beloved one most likely you have heard two of the greatest hymn’s ever written, ‘Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art.’ Both have amazing stories behind the scenes that sparked the writer to pen the words, interesting enough that both were in vicious storms and lived! It appears throughout the Bible that storms have had a great impact on many lives.
A good example was suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Matthew 8:24-27 NIV)
A storm will change your life! In Southern Sweden, in 1886 Carl Boberg wrote a poem after a vicious storm had passed, all was calm, and birds were singing and titled it ‘O Store Gud’ and interpreted in English as ‘How Great Thou Art.’ The poem was later set to the music of a Swedish folk tune. Manfred von Glehn translated it to German, and five years later a Russian pastor, Ivan Prokhanoff interpreted it into the Russian language. In the early 1920’s the Reverend and Mrs. Stuart K. Hine left their home in England and went to Poland as missionaries. It was there they learned the Russian version of Boberg’s song ‘O Store Gud.’ Hine wrote original English lyrics and made his own arrangements of ‘How Great Thou Art.’ The song was known in several countries before it finally reached the shores of the United States.
And so, we now have “How Great Thou Art.”
“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.”
Refrain:
“Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to thee,
How great thou art, How great thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to thee,
How great thou art, How great thou art!”
J. Edwin Orr introduced Hine’s translation of “How Great Thou Art” to audiences in the United States. A short time later, in 1957, it began its circle around the world by way of the Billy Graham New York City Crusade where it was sung 99 times.
“O Lord, how great are thy works!” (Psalm 92:5)
