I Love to Tell the Story

This classic hymn is a favorite of many. Enjoy!

When I in Awesome Wonder

When dark clouds begin to gather in the west, we often sit in our glass-enclosed sun room. It's like being outside without being outside. The lightning flashes, the deep echo of the thunder sounds, and the rain slashes at the roof. Awesome. Powerful. Wonderful. Chills zip through you as you sit and watch.

Who made the storm which displays such potent wonder? The Lord speaks through the storms.

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 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!

The writer of Psalm 19 puts it this way:

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

The Lord created the storm with its awful majesty so that there will be none without excuse. We can come to know a little something of our Creator through his amazing creation and we can worship the One who spoke the universe into being.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20

He doesn't display himself only in the storm. As Moses found, He can be known in the quiet, too, and in the simple things of nature.

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:
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!


The most powerful way the Lord speaks to us is through his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through his death on the cross to atone for our sins and through his powerful rising from the dead to conquer death forever.

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. Hebrews 1:1, 2

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.

And when we ponder the great love the Father has for us, our only response is:

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!

Then will come that glorious day when we will bow at the Lord's feet and sing his praises through all eternity.

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!

They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb:

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the ages.
Who will not fear you, O Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Revelation 15:2b-4

The Story Behind How Great Thou Art

Carl Boberg, a young Swedish pastor, was inspired to write this poem in 1885 after he was caught in a sudden thunderstorm. The lightning flashed, the wind blew and the rain poured down. Once the storm had passed, the birds sang again.

Pastor Boberg never intended the poem to become a hymn. Imagine his surprise when he heard his poem being sung at a church service to the tune of a Swedish folk song.

The poem was translated into German and Russian. Stuart K. Hine and his wife, English missionaries to the Ukraine, heard the hymn sung in Russian and translated the three verses into English. Mr. Hine added the fourth verse upon his return to England upon the outbreak of WWII.

The hymn gained popularity when George Beverly Shea sang it almost nightly at the Billy Graham evangelistic crusades in the 1950s.

How Great Thou Art

This week's hymn is a favorite of many. Chris Rice does a beautiful job, simply singing this song.