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This hymn has an interesting history with several people involved in it and a process that twists and turns!
The original words came from a title entitled, “O Store Gud,” and were written by a Swedish pastor, Carl Boberg in 1886.
It is said that the words came from a visit Rev. Boberg made to a country estate on the southeastern part of Sweden, named Monsteras. The 25 year old was returning from a church meeting two miles away, when he was caught in a sudden midday thunderstorm with violent lightning flashes. Then just as suddenly, the storm was followed by a clear and brilliant sun, and the calm sweet songs of the birds began. The whole event brought Rev. Boberg to his knees in adoration of the mighty God. Once home the poem simply flowed together and nine verses of his Swedish poem were penned. He then matched the poem to an old folk song tune and the next Sunday, concluded his message with the story of the majesty of God and the events of the storm. The congregation asked to be taught the hymn, and it soon became the church’s most requested favorite.
Several years later, Rev. Boberg attended a meeting in the Province of Varmländ and was surprised to hear the congregation sing his poem. They sang it to an old Swedish tune.
It is believed that the words were translated very soon after they were written into German by Manfred von Glehn and titled, “Wie Gross Bist Du.”
In 1925, Rev. E. Gustav Johnson of North Park College, Chicago, Illinois, made a literal translation of the words into English from the Swedish words. The words are very different from the words we use today, but they are still found in some hymnbooks with the title, “O Mighty God, When I Behold the Wonder.”
In 1927, the German version of the words was translated into Russian by I.S. Prokhanoff.
In 1933, missionaries to the Ukraine, Rev. Stuart Wesley Keene Hine and his wife, learned of the Russian translation from a church there. They sang it as a duet in unevangelized places and saw an amazing impact on the unsaved. Later, as they passed into the Sub-Carpathian mountains of Russia, the first two verses in English became thoughts. The words came partly from the Russian version, and partly from the majesty of the mountain scenes. As they continued their missionary work there, the third verse was added. In 1939, when World War II broke out, the couple had to return to England. Thousands of refugees fled to Britain to escape the Nazi invasion. Later, after the war had ended, the Hines saw the desperation of the homesick refugees trying to get back to their native lands. The situation inspired the writing of the fourth verse.
The music for the hymn comes from an old Swedish melody. Rev. Hine published what we use today of his words and the tune together.
James Caldwell sang this hymn at the Stony Brook Bible Conference of Long Island in 1951, introducing it to Christian use.
In 1954, the copyrights were assigned to an American company, and the hymn was then able to be more readily available.
George Beverly Shea takes the credit for the popularity of this hymn, by his use of this hymn in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s with Cliff Barrows in the Billy Graham crusades. Unfortunately, this hymn has been taken up by para-church organizations and Christian cults as a hymn that hypes up an audience into worship and glory for their leaders equating their leaders with God himself. Because it is a well known hymn with an emotional tune, it is easy to get crowds hyped up with it.
In 1971, this hymn was found to be the top favorite of the readers of a Christian publication.
Verses befitting the message of this hymn are:
Deuteronomy 3:24 O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?
Psalms 8:1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
Psalms 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
Psalms 19:2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
Psalms 25:11 For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
Psalms 31:19 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!
Psalms 36:6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.
Psalms 48:1 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
Psalms 86:13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
Psalms 103:11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
Psalms 104:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
Psalms 111:2 The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
Psalms 117:2 For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalms 126:3 The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
Psalms 145:3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
Colossians 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
The poem:
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 pow’r thru-out the universe displayed!
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,
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!
Refrain
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!
Sources
Ace Collins, Stories Behind the Hymns that Inspire America: Songs that Unite our Nation (Zondervan, 2003) p. 90-96.
George Thomas Kurian, Nelson's New Christian Dictionary: The Authoritative Resource on the Christian World (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Pubs., 2001) “How Great Thou Art.”
Robert J. Morgan, Nelson's Annual Preacher's Sourcebook: 2004 Edition (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2004), p. 232.
Kenneth W. Osbeck, Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1990), p. 141.
Kenneth W. Osbeck, 101 Hymn Stories (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1982), p. 99, 100.
Donald A. Spencer, Hymn and Scripture Selection Guide: A Cross-Reference Tool for Worship Leaders, Includes Index., Revised and expanded edition. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1993), “How Great Thou Art.”
Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, 1996, c1979), No. 3837.
