Creation Care Mom

No series on church music inspired by creation would be complete without pondering “How Great Thou Art”. A Google search to learn its history provides many variations of the story, but the summary is simple. The original poem was written in Swedish by Carl Boberg. His inspiration? Supposedly, in his own words, “It was in 1885, and in the time of year when everything seemed to be in its richest coloring; the birds were singing in trees and wherever they could find a perch. On a particular afternoon, some friends and I had been to Kronobäck where we had participated in an afternoon service. As we were returning a thunderstorm began to appear on the horizon. We hurried to shelter. There were loud claps of thunder, and the lighting flashed across the sky. Strong winds swept over the meadows and billowing fields of grain. However, the storm was soon over and the clear sky appeared with a beautiful rainbow.” (Read the full text here) His poem was eventually set to a Swedish tune and became a hymn. It has been translated into several languages, including at least twice into English. The current English version was created by Reverend Stuart K. Hine. He rewrote the melody and created the lyrics for verses 3 and 4. Hine’s version became world famous as part of the Billy Graham Crusades and has continued as part of our tradition ever since.

Although the current English version has four traditional verses. I will be focusing on the first two.

Verse 1
O Lord my God
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works
Thy hands have made,
I see the stars,
I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow’r throughout
The universe displayed!

Chorus
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!

Verse 2
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,

These verses come from an approximate English translation from Boberg’s original poem. Knowing now what inspired them, I feel as though I can be taken back into his experience. But I have memories of my own attached to these words.

After my family moved out of Yellowstone, we lived fulltime on a 10 acre property that included and irrigation ditch and a creek. Only the front 3 ish acres were maintained as lawn, the rest of the property was just a hair away from completely wild. (By that I mean, my dad at least tried to keep it free of invasive weeds.)

So what did I grow up hearing?

God’s whispers. Through the creek, through the birds, through the breeze.

He spoke of abundance, of provision, of life, of creativity.

And, as I grew, my soul internalized the refrain. How Great Thou Art. How Great Thou Art.

Though music and nature he was nurturing and shaping my faith, giving me anchor points for the challenges ahead. But in the moment, I couldn’t have told you what he was doing. Isn’t it amazing the subtle ways he works?

What about you? Do you have any stories about this hymn and its importance in your life? Let me know in the comments!

I leave for my wonderful and yet long summer trip to Salt Lake City and then Paris on Saturday. I am trying to write up my blogs for the next three weeks ahead of time, but I know with a toddler and trying to pack, it is possible I won’t finish. I definitely won’t be able to publicize them while on the road. So if you aren’t a subscriber, sign up so you never miss a post. I guarantee I will be back to my regular posting schedule with publicity on August 12th.