How Great Thou Art
BIBLE REFERENCE:

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God,
in the mountain of his holiness.
Psalm 48:1

I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every
day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD,
and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall
praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. will speak of the glorious
honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.
Psalm 145:1-5

Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: Who covereth
the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
Psalm 147:7-8

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Psalm 8:3-9

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1

And God said , Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. Genesis 1:6-7

And God said , Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. Genesis 1:9

And God said , Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. Genesis 1:11

And God said , Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:14-18

And God said , Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. Genesis 1:24

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness : and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Genesis 1:26

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. Genesis 1:31-2:3

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him ; and with His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
Carl Gustaf Boberg - Lyrics
1859-1940
Born: August 16, 1859, Mönsterås, Sweden.
Died: January 7, 1940, Kalmar, Sweden.
Buried: Mönsterås, Sweden

A carpenter’s son, Boberg started out as a sailor. He came to Christ at age 19 and attended a Bible school in Kristinehamm. He served as a lay preacher for two years, edited the weekly Sanningsvittnet (Witness of the Truth) (1890-1916), and served in the Swedish parliament (1912-1931). His works include several volumes of poetry, and many hymns; he also helped compile the first two hymnals of the Swedish Covenant church.
HYMN HISTORY:

In Psalm 19, verse 1, David tells us 'The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth his handiwork.' This great truth is elaborated in the words of the now famous hymn "How Great Thou Art". It has become one of the most popular spiritual songs of our time, and could rightly be described as a Christian classic.

Although it has only become popular in the last thirty years, the origins of this hymn go back to the last century; to the majestic hills and valleys of Sweden. It was there, around 1885, that the Reverend Carl Boberg, a well known Lutheran minister wrote the original, stirring words. Interestingly enough Reverend Boberg's talents stretched not only to preaching and poetry. He also had political abilities for he served as a senator in the Swedish parliament for fifteen years.

In writing "How Great Thou Art", he was 'inspired', some would say, by the natural beauty of his homeland - especially after a summer thunderstorm. Arriving home he penned three verses on the same theme and entitled this new song "O Great God". Over the years translations were made into German and Russian, and English; but the hymn never enjoyed the immense popularity which it does today.

However, In 1927, the Russian translation came into the hands of an English missionary couple, Mr. and Mrs. Stuart K. Hine, who were serving in the western Ukraine. Mr. Hine sang it in Russian for a number of years and then translated three verses into English. Surely he has vividly captured the original mood of the author with those words.

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 power throughout the universe displayed,
Then sings my soul my Saviour God to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art.

When the Second World War broke out, the Hines' returned to England bringing "How Great Thou Art" with them.

A fourth verse was added in 1948, and the next year the entire hymn appeared in a gospel magazine which Mr. Hine published. It was immediately popular and soon reprints were being requested by missionaries all over the world. The final thrust which was to give "How Great Thou Art", the worldwide popularity it deserved came a few years later, in 1954 to be exact.

Through the good offices of Scottish publisher, Mr. Andrew Gray, a copy of Mr. Hines' leaflet made its way into the hands of the famous gospel singer George Beverly Shea. It would appear that Bev. Shea fell in love with the piece immediately for he introduced it to the people of Toronto, Canada, at a crusade the next year; and then began to sing it regularly. In the New York Crusade 1957, for example, it was sung a staggering 99 times.

No doubt the music also played a large part in making this hymn so popular with old and young. It really is something special and the simple two line melody of the beautiful tune is the perfect vehicle for those lovely words. One verse, more than all others, sums up the gospel message superbly:

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.
Then sings my soul my Saviour God to thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This Hymn speaks of the wonderful creation of God, but somehow despite the fingerprint of God on the most intricate part of creation some would still deny God exist.

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14

The heavens so declare the glory of God, and proclaim his wisdom, power, and goodness, that all ungodly men are left without excuse. They speak themselves to be works of God's hands; for they must have a Creator who is eternal, infinitely wise, powerful, and good.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psalms 19:1

Every object we behold calls on us to bless and praise the Lord, who is great. His eternal power and Godhead are clearly shown by the things which he hath made. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. The Lord Jesus, the Son of his love, is the Light of the world.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:20

It may be truly said of our Lord Jesus Christ, that his words are words of goodness and grace; his works are works of goodness and grace. He is full of compassion; hence he came into the world to save sinners.

This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; 1 Timothy 1:15

When on earth, he showed his compassion both to the bodies and souls of men, by healing the one, and making wise the simple.

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. Psalms 19:7

All God's works show forth his praises. He is present every where; but in a special way he is nigh to them that are his own. He is in their hearts, and dwells there by faith, and they dwell in him.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John 15:7

He is near to those that call upon him, to help them in all times of need. He will be near to them, that they may have what they ask, and find what they seek, if they call upon him in truth and sincerity.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. James 4:8

And having taught men to love his name and holy ways, he will save them from the destruction of the wicked. May we then love his name, and walk in his ways, while we bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11
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