by
Robert A. Waters
The
song, "How Great Thou Art," is one of the most loved hymns of all
time. Describing the majestic power of God, and the joy of knowing
Jesus Christ as our Saviour, the song has touched millions of lives
since it was written in 1859 by a Swedish poet named Carl Boberg.
The lyrics were later set to the music of a Swedish folk song.
Boberg explained how he came to write the song. "It was that time of year," he said, "when everything seemed to be in its richest colouring; the birds were singing in trees and everywhere. It was very warm; a thunderstorm appeared on the horizon and soon there was thunder and lightning. We had to hurry to shelter. But the storm was soon over and the clear sky appeared."
The first verse of "How Great Thou Art" describes the above scene:
"Oh 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."
Boberg explained how he came to write the song. "It was that time of year," he said, "when everything seemed to be in its richest colouring; the birds were singing in trees and everywhere. It was very warm; a thunderstorm appeared on the horizon and soon there was thunder and lightning. We had to hurry to shelter. But the storm was soon over and the clear sky appeared."
The first verse of "How Great Thou Art" describes the above scene:
"Oh 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."
In
1949, British missionary Stuart K. Hine translated the song into
English, updated the lyrics, and added two verses. It was published
in the 1973 edition of The
Covenant Hymnbook.
"How Great Thou Art" was popularized in America by George
Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows during the Billy Graham Crusades of
the 1950s.
As
Christian faith wanes in modern society, "How Great Thou Art"
remains a musical lighthouse for many. Atheism, many of whose
adherents view faith as a "poison," threatens to become the new
religion. Richard Dawkins wrote: "[Christian] faith is an
evil precisely because it requires no justification and brooks no
argument."
Yet
faith is the stone on which atheists use to hammer out their own theories of
the origins of the universe. After trillions of years, they allege, a great explosion rocked the void
of nothingness and the universe suddenly formed. Scientists tell us that never before or
after has something
come from nothing,
but here we are.
Atheists
have faith that after the big bang, or whatever generated the
universe, complexity arose out of chaos and the vast network of solar
systems, stars, and planets formed. It seems
almost miraculous.
Sir Isaac Newton is quoted as saying, "Atheism is so senseless. When I look at the solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance."
On
Planet Earth, everything developed exactly as needed to form life. Scientists estimate that, on average, every human being is made
up of about 37.2 trillion cells. It takes a great deal of faith to
believe that the human body formed by itself, out of the blue.
"How
Great Thou Art" reminds Christians of the Creator who formed us.
As
for atheists, they're free to believe whatever they wish.
"How
Great Thou Art" has been sung by hundreds of artists. This version
is by Alan Jackson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXwrZ2bqHQA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXwrZ2bqHQA
No comments:
Post a Comment