How Great Thou Art

Uploaded by stack45ny on Aug 9, 2009

Christian Hymns playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=BD1B04EAC0152F4B

The history begins with Mr. Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940), a Swedish pastor, editor, and member of the Swedish parliament. He was enjoying a walk when a thunderstorm appeared out of no where. A severe wind began to blow. After the storm was over, Mr. Boberg looked out over the clear bay. He then heard a church bell in the distance. And the words to How Great Thou Art begin to form in his heart; O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds Thy hands hath made.

This poem titled O Store Gud (O Great God) was published in 1891 in Witness of the Truth, the weekly newspaper that Boberg edited. It was later translated in German. In 1927 it was published in a Russian version of the German text.

The song was translated by Stuart K. Hine, the English missionary to Ukraine. He found some version of the Russian text and sang it at an evangelistic meeting with his wife. He then translated the first three stanzas into English which was sung at an evangelistic meeting in England during World War One. He published the first three verses (in English and Russian) in 1949 in Grace and Peace, a Russian evangelistic paper which he edited. He later wrote the fourth verse as a triumphant message of life eternal.

He said: 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 the saints. Our heavenly home awaits us, all of those who have received Christ in obedience.

Dr. J. Edwin Orr of Fuller Theological Seminary is said to have brought the hymn to America after hearing it in India. Dr. Cyrus Nelson of Gospel Light Publications copyrighted and published the song.

It was sung by George Beverly Shea at the London Crusade of the Billy Graham evangelistic team in 1954. He later sang it during a revival in New York at a Billy Graham Crusade. This caused the hymn to receive new attention in Sweden and America and be published in several songbooks.

Give God all praise, glory, and honor for who He is, the Creator of the universe.

Lyrics

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!

When through 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 see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

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, 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.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour 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 then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

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!

Notable performers of the hymn are George Beverly Shea, Elvis Presley, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill, Charlie Daniels the Blackwood Brothers Quartet, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Roy Rogers whose inspiring rendition of the song appeared on the otherwise secular album Back in Baby's Arms. A rendition by The Statler Brothers from the album Holy Bible New Testament hit number 39 on the Hot Country Songs charts.

It's been used on major television programs, in major motion pictures, and has been named as the favorite Gospel song of at least three United States' presidents.

The hymn was the title track of Elvis Presley's second gospel LP. Presley won a Grammy Award for "Best Sacred Performance" and for "Best Inspirational Performance" for his album Recorded on Stage in Memphis Tennessee.

Carrie Underwood sang it with Vince Gill, televised on CBS. The the song hit #1 in iTunes Top Gospel Song.