How Great Thou Art
Stuart K. Hine, 1899-1989
Music, Old Swedish Hymn
“Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” (Ps.145:3)
The hymn, How Great Thou Art, began as a poem written by Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940). Mr. Boberg was a Swedish pastor, editor, and member of the Swedish parliament. It is likely no surprise that the inspiration for this hymn came after the author witnessed the majesty of a storm. Mr. Boberg was enjoying a nice walk when he suddenly found himself in the midst of a severe thunderstorm. He was filled with a sense of God’s immensity and the greatness of His might as the storm raged and the severe winds blew, similar to that of the psalmist, who wrote “The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD is over many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic” (Ps.29:3-4). When the storm subsided, Pastor Boberg, in awe at the grandeur of the storm, the peace that had come over the bay, the beauty of the rainbow, and the sweet gentleness of the birds that sang in the background, penned his praise in Swedish. This praise, which flowed from his heart, was not directed at the creation, but to the Creator who made, sustains, and is sovereign over His creation.
The Swedish poem written by Pastor Boberg, titled “O Stor Gud” (How Great Thou Art), made its way to the English population first by way of a German translation (Wie gross bist Du, 1907) and from German into Russian (1912). The Russian version was published in Americain 1922 as part of a collection of Russian language hymns by the American Bible Society. It was this Russian version that captured the attention of the English Missionary Stuart Hine, who used the hymn in his evangelism efforts while in Ukrainewith his wife. He later translated the first two verses mirroring Pastor Boberg’s awe of God’s power in nature. He later added a third verse dedicated to God’s amazing love manifest in the atoning death of His Son: “And when I think, that God His Son not sparing; Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in.”
Hine and his wife were later forced back to Londonafter the outbreak of World War II. It was during his evangelism to frightened war refugees that he added the fourth verse, devoted to the promise of deliverance at the second coming of Christ: “When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation; and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.”
Stanza 1:
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.
Reflective thought: Scripture always represents nature as under God’s control. The forces of nature are at His disposal, carrying out His purposes. While Job’s friend, Elihu, may have been wrong in his application of Truth, he understood that nature was God’s servant and that He was in complete control of it. (See Job 37:2-13)
Stanza 2:
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the tress.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Question: Nature reveals a number of things about God’s character, and about His attributes. What do the following verses each teach us about God’s character? Romans 1:18-20; Proverbs 8:22-31; Matthew 5:44-45; Matthew 6:28-32; Matthew 10:29-31.
Stanza 3:
And 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.
Reflective thought: While it may seem out of context to move from the majesty of God in nature to the atoning work of the Son of God, it is proper to remember that this self-sacrifice was by the Creator Himself for sinful and rebellious man. There is no greater expression of divine love than this!
Stanza 4:
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!”
Reflective thoughts: Speaking of the hymn’s importance, Stuart K. Hine had this to say: “When we reach that heavenly home, we will fully understand the greatness of God, and will bow in humble adoration, saying to Him, O Lord my God, how great thou art!” May we all live in such a way that we will be ready when Jesus Christ appears to receive those who have obediently accepted His invitation of salvation and submitted their lives to Him.
Chorus:
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.
