The Story Behind the Hymn: “How Great Thou Art”

The Story Behind the Hymn: “How Great Thou Art”

Words by Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940), Written in 1885


What a wonderful hymn this is, I hope that it encourages your walk with the Lord if you are a Christian. The lyrics of the song are such a lovely reminder that we can focus on how great our Savior is. However, if  you aren't a Christian, I hope that you'll be encouraged to start your walk with the Lord and that He may guide your steps and help you in your time of need. 

I will be including the lyrics at the bottom of this message. Please look at the link below for the reference of where this information may be found on the internet. Thanks. :)

http://www.celebratingholidays.com/?page_id=12507
 

Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940)

Carl Boberg was born in Sweden as the son of a shipyard carpenter. After spending some years as a sailor, Carl had a conversion experience at the age of 19. He decided to attend a Bible school in Sweden and then accepted a pastorate in his hometown. In 1890, he began serving as the editor of an evangelistic magazine. He soon became the owner of the magazine, and he continued as its editor until 1916. According to hymnologist J. Irving Erickson, “Under [Carl’s] leadership, the periodical became an increasingly important arm of the evangelical movement.” For almost 20 years, Carl also served as a member of the Swedish Parliament. He was a popular speaker and a gifted writer. He published several collections of poetry as well as many hymns which are still sung in Sweden. Only a handful of Carl’s hymns have been translated into English – the most popular being “How Great Thou Art.” Carl wrote this hymn when he was only 26 years old. He had been walking through a spectacular thunderstorm in 1885 when he was inspired with the opening words of his poem “O Store Gud” (“O Great God”). He wrote 9 stanzas based on Psalm 145:3, “Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise.” A few years later, while visiting a church in Sweden, Carl was surprised to hear his poem being sung to an old Swedish folk melody.

Tune “O Store Gud,” a Swedish hymn adapted and translated by Stuart Wesley Keen Hine (1899-1989), Published in 1949

Stuart Wesley Keen Hine (1899-1989)

Stuart Hine was born in London, England. He became a Christian at the age of 14 and later became a missionary to Eastern Europe. Stuart first heard the hymn “How Great You Are” in 1933 in Ukraine where it was sung in Russian. The Swedish original had been translated into both German (1907) and Russian (1912). Stuart and his wife began singing the hymn in Russian at evangelistic meetings, but it was not until he was caught in a storm in the Carpathian Mountains that he began a “free translation” of the hymn into English. He translated nine of the verses into two and later added a third and fourth verse of his own. Hine published his version in 1949 in Grace and Peace, an evangelistic publication that circulated in at least 15 countries. Furthermore, British missionaries helped to spread the hymn to both Africa and Asia. The popularity of the hymn grew in the U.S. (and renewed interest in the hymn in Europe) through its use in the Billy Graham Crusades. “How Great Thou Art” continues to rank as a favorite hymn across the globe.

Lyrics to the Hymn

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 power throughout the universe displayed.

Refrain:
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Refrain

When through 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 see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Refrain

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.

Refrain

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 then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Refrain

Story Behind the Hymn: How Firm A Foundation

History of “How Firm a Foundation”

What a nice hymn with a lovely message of having a foundation of faith and belief in Jesus can be so strong and firm. It has very strong Biblical references throughout the song and has been sung by many people throughout the ages and is a popular one with many Christian singers today. To check out this page online, you may read it on this link http://www.celebratingholidays.com/?page_id=11906.

Words published by John Rippon (1751-1836), Published in 1787

John Rippon (1751-1836)

This hymn was first published in a collection by John Rippon in 1787 — its authorship was attributed to a person with the initial “K.” Some scholars believe that Robert Keene, a worship leader and close friend to John, was the author. However, Keene was a hymn composer (he wrote the tunes, not the words for hymns), and since he was credited with authorship on his many tunes, it seems strange that he would not be credited with words that he penned. Ultimately, the author has yet to be identified with any certainty.
Whoever the author may have been, John Rippon is credited with popularizing the words. In 1775, John became the pastor of Carter’s Lane Baptist Church in London (a congregation that would later be pastored by the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon), where he served for over six decades. In 1787, he published his famous A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors, Intended to Be an Appendix to Dr. Watts’ Psalms and Hymns. This collection of hymns was reprinted 27 times, in over 200,000 copies.¹ It was used by his congregation (and many others) until 1866 when Spurgeon created a collection called Our Own Hymn Book (which borrowed significantly from both Rippon and Watts).²
“How Firm a Foundation” was first printed in America in 1820, and it quickly gained popularity throughout the United States. President Andrew Jackson asked that it be sung at his bedside shortly before he died, and it was sung at the funeral of General Robert E. Lee, by his request, “as an expression of his full trust in the ways of the Heavenly Father;” it was also the favorite hymn of President Theodore Roosevelt.³ America’s love for this hymn was perhaps best revealed during the Spanish-American War — on Christmas Eve of 1898, Northerners and Southerners in the U.S. Army joined together to sing it.

Tune “Foundation” (American Folk Tune), Published in 1832


The source of the tune remains as much of a mystery as the authorship of the text. It seems that it first appeared in 1832 with the name “Protection” in A Compilation of Genuine Church Music, by Joseph Funk, and then in 1844 with the name “Bellevue” in The Sacred Harp. According to hymnologist Donald Hustad, “it is generally agreed that it was one of the most widely sung folk hymn tunes in the South.”⁴

Story Behind the Hymn: Christ Arose (Low in the Grave He Lay)

2 webpages were used in this blog message this week to provide a more detailed history of this hymn that was written by Robert Lowry who also wrote other famous hymns. References for the information below can be found on the following 2 links:
http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVarticles/SongsAndHymnsOfRobertLowery.html
http ://www.celebratingholidays.com/?page_id=11725.

 

History of “Christ Arose (Low in the Grave He Lay)”:

Words and Music by Robert Lowry (1826-1899), Published in 1874

Robert Lowry (1826-1899)

Robert Lowry was born in Philadelphia in 1826. As a teen, he was active in teaching Sunday school, as well as serving in the choir of his church. For college, Robert attended the University at Lewisburg, PA (now Bucknell University), and he graduated with the highest honors. He began working as a pastor, as well as a professor of literature.
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According to the Biography of Gospel Song and Hymn Writers:

“Dr. Lowry was a man of rare administrative ability, a most excellent preacher, a thorough Bible student, and whether in the pulpit or upon the platform, always a brilliant and interesting speaker. He was of a genial and pleasing disposition, and a high sense of humor was one of his most striking characteristics. Very few men had greater ability in painting pictures from the imagination. He could thrill an audience with his vivid descriptions, inspiring others with the same thoughts that inspired him.”

While preaching was Robert’s main work for many years, he always had a deep love of music. In time, he began dedicating more effort to music and by the end of his life, he had written dozens of popular hymns and tunes such as: “Here Is Love,” “I Need Thee Every Hour,” “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus,” “Shall We Gather at the River?”, and “We’re Marching to Zion.”

This song which reminds us of the fact that Jesus, who was crucified, was also raised form the grave, is "Christ Arose."  The text often identified by its first line, "Low in the Grave He Lay," was written and the tune (He Arose) was composed both  in 1874 after Lowry had moved to preach in Lewisburg, PA, where he also served as Professor at Bucknell. During the spring of that year, he was having his evening devotions and was impressed with the events associated with Christ's resurrection. Soon he found himself in the parlor of his home and, in a very spontaneous fashion, there came forth from his thoughts the words and music for this song. It was first published the following year in a Sunday school songbook Brightest and Best of which he was co-editor with William Howard Doane (1832-1915).  This song emphasizes both the facts and the importance of the resurrection of Christ.
Stanza #1 talks about how Christ lay in the tomb waiting the resurrection day.

"Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior,
Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!"

The Bible records the burial of Jesus in Joseph's new tomb (Matthew 27:57-61).  However, this was only a waiting period, because even the Old Testament had prophesied that the Messiah would be raisd from the dead (Psalms 16:9-11; cf. Acts 2:29-31). And even Jesus Himself had often predicted His own resurrection (Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19).
Stanza #2 tells about how preparations were made to keep Christ's body in the tomb.

"Vainly they watch His bed, Jesus my Savior;
Vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!"

The Jewish leaders were afraid that the disciples would steal the body, so they asked Pilate to set a guard and seal the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66).  They remembered His predictions of a resurrection and wanted to have all their bases covered (Matthew 12:38-40). But, of course, all their preparations were in vain, and the very thing which they sought to prevent is what they eventually claimed happened (Matthew 28:11-15).
Stanza 3 speaks of how Christ came forth from the grave.

"Death cannot keep its Prey, Jesus my Savior;
He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!"

The simple fact is that after three days in the tomb, Jesus arose just as He said that He would (Matthew 28:1-2). Following His resurrection, He appeared to a number of people to show by many infallible proofs that He was indeed alive again (Acts 1:1-3; I Corinthians 15:3-8). And the rest of the New Testament teaches us to remember Christ's resurrection because it declared Him to be the divine Son of God (Romans 1:3-4; II Timothy 2:8).
Sometimes, song leaders may choose to have the congregation sing all three stanzas one right after another and then the chorus which triumphantly declares,

"Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o'er His foes!
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!"

The resurrection of Christ from the dead is recorded in the scriptures not as some kind of allegory but as an actual event: Luke 24:6-8). And it is presented in the scripture as the basis for our hope (I Peter 1:3-4). Therefore, we can rejoice and have hope because of the fact that "Christ Arose.