Hymns From Home: How Great Thou art

PRAY
O Lord, my God, when I consider the works of your hands, the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus Christ, and the promise of His glorious return, I cannot help but join with the angels in proclaiming Holy Holy Holy.  How great Thou Art.  Amen.

LYRIC
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

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art

And when I think of 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

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And lead me home, what joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow with humble adoration
And then proclaim, my God, how great Thou art

SCRIPTURE
Psalm 8:3-4

BACKGROUND

How Great Thou Art has a bit of a complicated background to the point that I'm actually a bit nervous I won't get it correct, like a game of telephone.  From what I can piece together, it first was written in 1865 as a 9-stanza Swedish text by Carl G. Boberg ("O store Gud"–"O great God").  Then in 1907 it was translated into German, which became the basis for a Russian translation in 1912.  It was the Russian version that caught the attention of Stuart Wesley Keene Hine, an Englishman who along with his wife served as a missionary in Western Ukraine.  In the 1950's Hine translated it into English and it caught the attention of George Beverly Shea who used the song at many of the Billy Graham crusades where he was the songleader.  

The tune is a Swedish folk initially used as a setting for Boberg's original lyric.  Called, "O STORE GUD," this is the official tune even for the modern-day version

​PERSONAL

I really don't think you can do a Hymns series of any sort without including How Great Thou Art.  One source called it "the greatest hymn" with "many appropriate times of use in Christian worship."  And really, I can't disagree.  It celebrates the goodness of God, and theologically, it acknowledges His role as Creator, Savior and Redeemer. It has both depth of lyric and also a chorus simplistic enough that anyone can remember it giving it high-marks on the "Bethany Bordeaux sing-ability scale," (if such a thing existed.)

But I'm bringing it to you tonight as the special request of my Dad's older sister, my Aunt Peggy.  I've been so blown away by how many of you have enjoyed this series and reached out suggesting a specific hymn that means something special to you or that you simply really enjoy.  Honestly, I've had so many suggestions that it's hard to keep up, but tonight I'm so happy to say...Aunt Peggy, this one is for you.