February 21, 2018
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 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 adapts, Stuart K. Hine, 1899-1989.
I’ve always loved this hymn because it sums up the entire Bible in 150 words or less. As the congregation sings of all the worlds, stars, and universe of God’s creation, my mind wanders while I attempt to imagine the immensity of God’s power to create an endless solar system that’s measured in light years.
Then the hymn brings me back to earth with words that describe the beauty of nature. God’s gift of the great outdoors can be a gentle and renewing experience when you hear the sweet song of a bird, feel a soft breeze or walk a wooded path. During an evening walk, stars, light years away, formed by God’s awesome power, twinkle sweetly as I look at them. The gift of nature is a demonstration of God’s kindness that brings me closer to God.
The gift of nature pales, though, in comparison to God’s greatest sacrifice, his Son. By bearing our sins and dying on the cross, his Son painfully fulfilled God’s plan of grace and redemption. This sacrifice is God’s greatest gift that allows us to live with God in eternity. In triumph, Christ will return to take his humble and adoring children home.
How Great Thou Art beautifully tells the Bible’s story of God’s relationship with his children. The hymn brings mysteries to mind: God’s limitless power, God’s unlimited space, eternity’s unlimited time and, most of all, God’s unlimited grace and love for his children.
Marsha Sears
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