How Great Thou Art - Spreading the Word of God

This week the bass player who stands at the back gets to move up front and sing a song. The song I get to present is "How Great Thou Art". This was one of my father's favorite songs and I loved hearing him sing it when I was young.

Music was a big part of my fathers side of the family, many of his brothers and sisters sang and played musical instruments. As a child I remember the Sunday trips to my grand mother's house. About once a month my dad and some of his brothers would get together and sing. The music was wonderful and then we would get to hear my elder Uncle Albert tell stories. Uncle Albert was a master story teller who always placed a little truth in his stories.  In this day of TV and Facebook there are not many family story tellers left.

The story of the song "How Great Thou Art" and it writer Stuart K. Hine are very interesting. The song in part is based on a poem written by a Swedish preacher entitled, “O Store Gud”. This poem was published in 1886 and titled “O Store Gud”, and later translated into English as “O Great God”.

English missionaries, Mr. Stuart K. Hine and his wife, ministered in Poland. They learned the Russian version of Boberg’s poem, “O Store Gud”, coupled with a Swedish melody. Later Stuart K. Hine wrote original English words, and made his own arrangement of the Swedish melody. This became popular and is now known as the hymn, "HOW GREAT THOU ART".

So from a Swedish poem and a missionary spreading the gospel in Europe came a song that is sung all around the world.  Even in the living room of a small house near Reidsville,NC.

How Great Thou Art

Writer: 

Stuart K. Hine

Articles on the song: Manna Music

Song Video (Salvation Army Citadel Band - Sheffield)