How {GREAT} Thou Art

I remember lying on the floor of my childhood living room with big puffy headphones on. There was a record playing and I was reading the lyrics inside the tri-fold record liner, the notes on the producers and the musicians and the history on the company who produced this record (in case you were wondering, my favorite albums as a kid in the early 1980’s were Bullfrogs and Butterflies, Music Machine: Fruit of the Spirit, Ants’hillvania, Sir Oliver’s Song and I Am God’s Project). I even hung up the a poster from inside the album cover of I Am God’s Project on my bedroom wall.

I just cringe thinking at how I most likely sounded while I was belting out songs (with headphones on – so the rest of the household couldn’t even hear the music). This would go on for hours, I’m just sure of it. Oh the joys of childhood…


If it wasn’t already obvious, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: music has always been a big part of my life.

But it wasn’t just “white noise” to me. It’s much more than the sound of the music that I love. It’s about the lyrics and the meaning of that story, the vulnerability of the writer coming through… it’s about the feeling of the music, the emotion behind the soul singing.


So this morning when I was diminished to tears at the lyrics of this classic hymn I wasn’t surprised. Crying, joyful/thankful tears, I sat at my desk (at work) and paused. This is a song I have sung a thousand times (at least). And this morning I am reminded of the significance of those lyrics.


How Great Thou Art
Lyrics ~ Carl Boberg, 1859 - 1940
English Translation ~ Stuart K. Hine, 1899 -

Stanza 1:
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;

Stanza 2:
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:
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!

Stanza 3:
When Christ shall come,
With shouts 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!"


But the real story is in the full story of the writer of this song... and what inspired this song.

For more on the story of the writers and the inspiration behind the song:
Click on this link - Hymn: How Great Thou Art



life is good...