How Great Thou Art

For thus says the Lord, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the Lord, and there is no other."

Isaiah 45:18

Carl Boberg, a 26-year-old Swedish minister, wrote a poem in 1885 which he called "O Store Gud"--"O Mighty God." The words, literally translated to English, said:

When I the world consider/ Which Thou hast made by Thine almighty Word

And how the webb of life Thou wisdom guideth/ And all creation feedeth at Thy board.

Then doth my soul burst forth in song of praise/ Oh, great God, Oh, great God!

His poem was published and "forgotten"--or so he thought. Several years later, Carl was surprised to hear it being sung to the tune of an old Swedish melody; but the poem and hymn did not achieve widespread fame.

Hearing this hymn in Russia, English missionary, Stuart Hine, was so moved he modified and expanded the words and made his own arrangement of the Swedish melody. He later said his first three verses were inspired, line upon line, by Russia's rugged Carpathian Mountains. The first verse was composed when he was caught in a thunderstorm in a Carpathian village, the second as he heard the birds sing near the Romanian border, and the third as he witnessed many of the Carpathian mountain-dwellers coming to Christ. The final verse was written after Dr. Hine returned to Great Britain.

Some time later, Dr. J. Edwin Orr heard "How Great Thou Art" being sung by Naga Tribespeople in Assam, in India, and decided to bring it back to America for use in his own meetings. When he introduced it at a conference in California, it came to the attention of music publisher, Tim Spencer, who contracted Mr. Hine and had the song copyrighted. It was published and recorded.

During the 1954 Billy Graham Crusade in Harringay Arena, George Beverly Shea was given a leaflet containing this hymn. He sand it to himself and shared it with other members of the Graham team. Though not used in London, it was introduced the following year to audiences in Toronto.

In the New York Crusade of 1957, it was sung by Bev Shea ninety-nine times, with the chorus joining with majestic refrain:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee.

How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

Taken from the book: Then Sings My Soul

P.S. You might want to scroll down and pause the background music to the blog before starting the clip. :)