Wednesday, November 11, 2009

How Great Thou Art

How Great Thou Art
Carl Boberg

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 pow'r throughout The universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

When thru the woods and forest glades I wander,
And 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.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

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 Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

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!"

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!

Carl Boberg was a Swedish minister and wrote a poem in 1885, when he was 26 years old, that translated very similar to the first verse of this hymn. Stuart Hine, an English missionary, was in Russia when he heard the hymn for the first time. He loved it so much he changed some words and added the last three verses. In 1954 George Beverly Shea heard this song and introduced it to the Billy Graham Crusade team. In the New York Crusade of 1957, Bev Shea sung this hymn ninety-nine times.
*The history for this hymn is taken from Then Sings My Soul by Robert J. Morgan

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