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HOW GREAT THOU
ART
O Lord my God,
when I in awesome wonder consider all the works thy hand hath
made,
I see the
stars, I hear the mighty thunder, thy pow'r 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!
When through the
woods and forest glades I wander,
I hear the birds sing sweetly in
the trees;
when I look
down from lofty mountain grandeur
and hear the brook and feel the
gentle breeze; (Refrain)
But when I
think that God, his Son not sparing,
sent him to die, I scarce can
take it in,
that on the
cross my burden gladly bearing
he bled and died to take away my
sin; (Refrain)
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 there proclaim,
“My God, how great
thou art!” (Refrain)
Text: Carl G.
Boberg, 1859-1940; tr. and adapt. Stuart K. Hine, 1899-1989.
Used by
permission. ©1953 S.K. Hine, assigned to Manna Music, Inc.,
35255 Brooten Road, Pacific City, OR 97135 (ASCAP).
Renewed 1981. All
rights reserved. (ASCAP)
How can anyone
read the words of this hymn and not be awed at God’s power? How
can anyone not be thrilled at the words?
As a Christian, I
know that everything
—
everything
— is created by our God. This hymn voices my belief in that
God. The writer includes every aspect of our lives and nature: the
forest, the birds, the mountains, the brook, the breeze. In this
era of concerns about the universe, the land, the waters, this
hymn reminds us that God created everything we love. We must be
responsible and take care of these natural creations, if we are
going to honor our God. This hymn could be considered a striving
for ecological perfection.
The hymn also
reminds us that Christ died for us, for our sins. I must agree
with the song: “I scarce can take it in.” How unbelievable
that a man, Jesus Christ, would die for me and my sins. I am truly
blessed. This is truly a God, a Christ for all times, for all
peoples, for all places: a God for the universe. Thus, I sing,
“How great thou art.”
Holy Lord and
God, thank you for the beauty of your universe. Help me to
appreciate not only the gifts of nature, but the true gift of your
son, Jesus Christ. Continue to remind me how great thou art.
Barbara Orsak |
