How great thou art

 

O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder

consider all the works thy hands hath made,

I see the stars, I hear the mighty 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!

Then sings my soul, my Savior-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 hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze;

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;

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!"

(Stuart K. Hine)

The Story Behind How Great Thou Art

Stuart K. Hine was a British Methodist missionary on a mission trip in Ukraine in 1931 when he heard the Russian translation of a German song inspired by Carl Boberg's poem "O Store Gud" (O Great God). Hine began to translation the song to English and added several verses. The third verse was inspired by the conversion of villagers in Russia who cried out to God loudly as the repented and realized God's love and mercy - "And when I think that God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in."

Stuart Hine and his family left Ukraine as famine and World War Two began, and settled in Somerset, Britain where he continued to serve as a missionary to Polish refugees. The forth verse of "How Great Thou Art" was inspired by displaced Russians who experienced great loss and looked forward to seeing their loved ones again in heaven - "When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation to take me home, what joy shall fill my heart."

The final English version of "How Great Thou Art" was published in 1949 and quickly spread among Britain, Africa, India and America.

( https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/how-great-thou-art/)