How Great Thou Art (Strength in Hymn)

"How Great Thou Art"

Swedish poem by Carl Gustav Boberg (1885)

English translation and two verses by Stuart K. Hine (1920's)

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:

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!

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 hear the brook 

and feel the gentle breeze:

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!

About the Hymn:  "How Great Thou Art" started out as a Swedish poem in 1885. In the early 1920's, British missionary Stuart Hine was ministering in Poland and heard the words sung in Russian to the original Swedish melody. He translated it to English and added two verses, partly inspired by a hike in the Carpathian Mountains. Read more of the story here: HymnSite.

Why I Chose the Hymn: I first remember this from my teen years in the Presbyterian church, but I've probably sung it in every church I've been a member of since then.  It ranks as one of the all-time favorite Christian hymns, after "Amazing Grace."  I was thinking of it recently in light of my love for nature as a means of communicating God's glory and grace. I had it running through my head one evening as we passed by a lake on our way home from a church event. Two of my kids were bickering rather loudly. I asked them to stop, but I don't think they heard me, or at least they weren't paying attention. I thought, "Well then, Mama is just going to have to start singing!" And I did -- loudly, to drown out the conflict. Miracle of miracles, within a minute or so, they stopped the argument. Blissful silence reigned, only broken by calm apologies from both parties. Was it the hymn? Maybe not, but I tend to think it helped. I know words like these help to quiet my soul when a storm is raging inside. Yesterday I had a rough time of it - lack of sleep, kids not cooperating with my dreams of a clean house, and yes, a bit more bickering. I finally fled the house in the evening and drove to our church's ladies' Bible study at the home of a friend, even though I hadn't been in a year. I got there late, and stayed mostly silent during the study to keep my composure, but during prayer time, my tears flowed freely. The sweet ladies, some of them strangers to me, gathered around, laid hands on me, and prayed. They didn't need to know everything going on, just that a sister in Jesus needed a wee bit of encouragement and intercession. When I arrived home again, I was greeted with warm embraces from some of my children. Though I love the beauties of nature - clouds, trees, birds, flowers, lakes, and more - I think God's most awesome creation was human compassion and fellowship. That, and his Word, which assures us: "

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, 

He bled and died to take away my sin."  That's enough to make a soul sing.

About the Photos:  I took these pictures while walking around Crane's Roost, a suburban lake park. I like to take the time to really notice nature. I see the difference between the two palm trees.   One has great clumps of pollen on it; the other does not. They stand separately, but need each other for fruitfulness. I quietly followed the young blue heron as he strutted along the boardwalk and fluttered up to the railing. He evaded me with his amazing gift of flight. The squirrel, too, escaped my attentions by climbing a tree. Shadows, bare branches, small creatures, the vibrancy of purple pansies  and luminous yellow snap dragons, all there for us to enjoy. Glory to God. "How great Thou art!"

This post is part of my Strength in Hymn series, which combines vintage hymn lyrics, nature photography, and inspiration for those who have struggled in the Christian faith community.

Grace and peace,

Virginia Knowles

www.WatchTheShepherd.blogspot.com

What a Friend We Have in Jesus (Strength in Hymn)

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

by Joseph Scriven, 1855

What a friend we have in Jesus

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer.

O what peace we often forfeit

O what needless pain we bear

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged.

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

Who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness.

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,

cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In his arms he'll take and shield thee;

thou wilt find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised

Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing

all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded

there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship

will be our sweet portion there.

 

The Story Behind the Hymn:  Joseph Scriven, no stranger to grief himself (two fiances died) wrote this as a poem of comfort for his ailing mother back home in Ireland when he was living in Canada. He never married, and spent most of his life spreading the love and compassion of Jesus to those less fortunate. You can read the story here: What a Friend We Have in Jesus, The Story and the Song.

Why I Picked This Hymn:  

Like many of the other hymns in this series, this is one I sang quite often with my own children when they were younger. It is now all the more poignant to me as I have gone through so many more "sins and griefs" since then. During times of disillusionment, I would think, "At least there is Jesus. I can do life with Jesus. He is good and kind." At times, it was all I could do to say, "Dear sweet Jesus, help me. Have mercy on me."

This morning as I drove to work, I reflected on yet another story of abuse in a prominent conservative ministry. Tears came to my eyes thinking of those families who have been hurt and even destroyed over the course of decades through legalistic authoritarian teaching coupled with credible reports of immorality among leaders. My heart is so heavy just thinking of it. Yes, my own family was negatively affected too. Even though we were never close followers of the organization, its influence permeated some of the churches we attended, as well as the home schooling movement for the 20+ years we did that. What is particularly sad to me is that this is not the only group or leader with this magnitude of problems. One by one they go down - after they've already taken so many others down in the process. "Dear sweet Jesus, help us. Have mercy on us all."  

To be honest, the temptation for so many of us is to throw away Christianity as corrupt. Maybe not trashing Jesus himself - we will consider keeping him, though sometimes at a bit more of a distance. But we just can't bear all the flawed people who claim to follow him but lead others astray, all the people who claim to have all the right answers but haven't even learned to ask the right questions yet.

But pitching our shared community of faith is not the answer, even if we need to move on to another congregation for our own spiritual sanity. If anything, we need more people who follow and exalt Jesus rather than human leaders. We need more people who give their lives away in humble compassion, rather than grabbing for power and prestige in the name of piety. We need more people to bring us the authentic Jesus rather than a system of rigid rules and regulations. Let's be those people for others.

The call in this hymn is to prayer. Through the gracious gift of prayer, we bring it all to our dear friend Jesus - all the doubt, all the pain, all the anxiety, all the fear, all of whatever we can't even name. We bring that and then we sing, sing this sweet old hymn into our souls, whether in sound or in sacred silence. Let's take these vintage words and reclaim them for a new generation.

About the Photos:  All of the pictures in this post were taken at Lake Giles in Orlando when I went to a silent Refresh Retreat hosted by my friend Sandy. The rippled clouds caught my attention, as did the trees. Sometimes we soar upward into the sky like the tall palms. Sometimes we hang down low in grief, like the weeping willow. Sometimes we are all tangled up like the branches in one photo, and other times we're stuck in the mud like reeds. Wherever we are, Jesus is our blessed and precious friend, and he will help us.  

You might like these posts about the retreat: Kaleidoscope and Refresh Retreat. 





Other related posts on my blogs:

• Strength in Hymn series index
• Shimmer and Shadow (Poem)
• Disillusioned and Disappointed? Take It to Jesus!
• It Became to Me a Dark Thing (Poem)
• O God, Our Help in Ages Past (Strength in Hymn)
• Sweet Hour of Prayer (Strength in Hymn)
• Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us (Strength in Hymn)
• I Dare Not Trust the Sweetest Frame? (Strength in Hymn)
• Dignity, Decisions, and Liberty of Conscience
• Gleaning Encouragement from Scriptures in Times of Disillusionment
• Recovering, Still...
• Lord, Have Mercy!
• Pilgrimage and Jubilee

On other sites, a little background to this story:

• The Gothard Files: A Case for Disqualification

• Vision Forum and Friends: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Shalom,
Virginia Knowles
www.WatchTheShepherd.blogspot.com

As with Gladness Men of Old (Strength in Hymn)

“As with Gladness Men of Old”

by William Chatterton Dix, 1869

(Tune of “For the Beauty of the Earth”)

As with gladness, men of old

Did the guiding star behold

As with joy they hailed its light

Leading onward, beaming bright

So, most glorious Lord, may we

Evermore be led to Thee.

As with joyful steps they sped

To that lowly manger bed

There to bend the knee before

Him Whom Heaven and earth adore;

So may we with willing feet

Ever seek Thy mercy seat.

As they offered gifts most rare

At that manger rude and bare;

So may we with holy joy,

Pure and free from sin’s alloy,

All our costliest treasures bring,

Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King.

Holy Jesus, every day

Keep us in the narrow way;

And, when earthly things are past,

Bring our ransomed souls at last

Where they need no star to guide,

Where no clouds Thy glory hide.

In the heavenly country bright,

Need they no created light;

Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown,

Thou its Sun which goes not down;

There forever may we sing

Alleluias to our King!

January 6 is the traditional celebration of Epiphany, the 12th day of Christmas, when we commemorate the visit of the magi to see the new King. (Think of the carol "We Three Kings.")  They followed the prophetic star to find and worship him, bringing their gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense.  The word "epiphany" means "appearance" - and this is also when we remember that the babe who laid in a humble Jewish manger was also the Christ - the sent one - for the whole world.

"The Adoration of the Magi"
by Benvenuto di Giovanni in 1470-1475

In his sermon this morning, worship leader Josh Bales told us that he was going to preach about models for missions (sharing the gospel of Jesus) through the story of Epiphany in Matthew 2:1-12.  I thought, "Right. Sure.  I'd like to see how he's going to pull this off."  Yet he did.  Aha.  Like an epiphany to me, in the sense of insight appearing as light in my heart through his words.  

Josh reminded us that in the mystery of Epiphany, God shows himself to be inclusive.  He draws men and women from around the globe into his own divine family by faith.  Like two foremothers of Jesus, Rahab and Ruth, the magi came from a completly different culture, nation, political system, and religion.  These "wise men of the East" were outsiders in every sense of the word to the sleepy little town of Bethlehem in Judea.  Their arrival heralded not only the amazing news of the Savior of the Jews, but of people all over the world.  

God is also gracious.  He lead these men, who were most likely pagan astrologers, by the star, something already a vital part of their lives and worldviews.  He meets us right where we are, just as he met them with a star.  He can use anything in any culture to communicate his grace.  So we too, with the help of the Holy Spirit, can be creative and authentic in how we express or share our faith.  We don't need gimmicks.  We do need to reach people where they are and not rigidly expect them to be just like us.  We can be sensitive to their needs, their preconceptions, their preferences, their hesitancy. We also realize it's not just our words, but his spirit drawing them in so many ways we cannot even fathom. (To them it was a star, but to me, clouds communicate his beauty and glory and kindness, which is one reason I chose some of my cloud photos for this post.  But I digress.)

Finally, God is personal.  In Jesus, we find that God is present in a human body, not abstract and distant.  The magi ventured first to Herod's fancy palace to seek the newborn King. Yet the end of their journey was counter-intuitive.  Instead of splendor, they found a lowborn baby in poor family in a simple home.  And they bowed and worshiped him.  They knew. God was there, small, with skin on.  As we try to share God's plan with those who don't yet know him, where are we pointing them?   To our religious morals and ideologies?  To a political agenda? To our favorite Christian celebrities?  To our bumper stickers and TV shows or clubs?  To our quick and trite answers to their deepest doubts and dilemmas?  Or do we bring them straight to Jesus?  He is not just an idea or a philosophy.   He is real.  He is alive.  He still speaks.  He still saves.   He is the Light of the World. He is the Way and the Truth and the Life.  He is the great I AM.  Jesus, God with us.

Epiphany.  The Savior has appeared to the world, made his debut into the whole of humanity.  Take a peek at the hymn again, and see if it will lead you a little closer to Jesus.

In grace,

Virginia Knowles

www.WatchTheShepherd.blogspot.com

Post Scripts: 

#1: I love the word epiphany, so I used it twice in my poem Shimmer and Shadow.

#2: You may also like my Advent poem Paradox.

#3: More from Josh Bales about stars, this time in music: Count the Stars.

#4: My other Christmas hymns in the Strength in Hymn series:

• There's a Song in the Air (Strength in Hymn)
• The Wexford Carol (Strength in Hymn)

There's a Song in the Air (Strength in Hymn)

"There's a Song in the Air"

 by Josiah Holland

There's a song in the air!
There's a star in the sky!
There's a mother's deep prayer
And a baby's low cry!
And the star rains its fire  while the Beautiful sing,
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a king.

There's a tumult of joy
O'er the wonderful birth,
For the virgin's sweet boy
Is the Lord of the earth.
Ay! the star rains its fire and the Beautiful sing,
For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a king. 

In the light of that star
Lie the ages impearled;

And that song from afar
Has swept over the world.
Every hearth is aflame, and the Beautiful sing
In the homes of the nations that Jesus is King. 

We rejoice in the light,
And we echo the song
That comes down through the night
From the heavenly throng.
Ay! we shout to the lovely evangel they bring,
And we greet in his cradle our Saviour and King. 

The Story Behind the Hymn: You can read more about the background of this 1872 hymn and its lyricist here: "There's a Song in the Air" at United Methodist Reporter.  It is tempting to think of the idyllic lifestyles of centuries past, but I remind myself that this song was written not long after the Civil War, and Josiah Holland had experienced many frustrations and disappointments in life. 

The Photographs:  The stained glass nativity set below the poem was made 28 years ago by my mother, who passed away this summer.  I took the photo of the stained glass window last month at Winter Park Presbyterian Church when we stopped at their Global Christmas Market mentioned in this post: We Plough the Fields and Scatter. (I have a certain fascination for stained glass in vintage churches, as you can see in this post from last year: Beauty and Diversity on an Autumn Sunday in Maryland.)  I had often driven by the Winter Park church on our way to our own church, which meets in a middle school. (No stained glass there!)  Anyway, I knew there were gorgeous windows, so I peeked inside the sanctuary before we left. I was delighted, of course.  Mine is only a quick snapshot, but you can view the church's whole photo gallery of stained glass windows.  I'm glad. Beauty sings.

Why I Picked this Hymn: For this season of Advent, I wanted to highlight a few lesser known Christmas hymns. This one speaks to me of joy, which does not come naturally right now in my own season of life.  Exhaustion catches up with me, I hear a piece of troubling news in the community or around the world, I visit a friend's beautifully decorated and tidy home and compare it to my own, a child is not making as much progress as I'd like to see and "a mother's deep prayer" doesn't seem to be getting through, I know a friend is hurting badly, I get angry at an injustice done to another, I worry about whether I will ever get "enough" done, or I sense disconnection from loved ones -- or whatever it is that brings a sense of sadness.  And then this lovely old carol calls me back to the reality that the Beautiful sing about the King caring enough to come and be with us in the middle of our troubles.  The star rains its fire into the dark night.  How poetic! I could use some star fire right now. How about a miracle aflame at my hearth?  This carol calls for a response: to rejoice and echo and shout and greet.  I don't know about a shout right now, but I think I can at least whisper: "Thank you, Jesus."

This post is part of my Strength in Hymn series which combines hymn texts, photography, and encouragement for the spiritually weary.  The other Christmas song in this series so far is The Wexford Carol.

You might also like to read: Beating Holiday Blues and Stress.

Peace on earth!

Virginia Knowles

www.watchtheshepherd.blogspot.com

The Wexford Carol (Strength in Hymn)

"The Wexford Carol"
Traditional Irish Carol

Good people all, this Christmas-time,

Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done,
In sending His beloved Son.
With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas Day:
In Bethlehem upon that morn
There was a blessed Messiah born.

Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep;
To whom God's angels did appear,
Which put the shepherds in great fear.
"Prepare and go," the angels said,
"To Bethlehem, be not afraid;
For there you'll find, this happy morn,
A princely Babe, sweet Jesus born."

With thankful heart and joyful mind,
The shepherds went the Babe to find,
And as God's angel had foretold,
They did our Saviour Christ behold.
Within a manger He was laid,
And by his side the Virgin Maid,
As long foretold,

there was a blessed Messiah born.

My Strength in Hymn series is featuring four Christmas carols for the season of Advent.  I'd like to pick ones that aren't as familiar to most people, and the beautiful, haunting "Wexford Carol" is one of my obscure favorites. Watch cellist Yo-Yo Ma and vocalist Alison Krauss perform this carol in the studio: Wexford Carol.

I am just now putting the Christmas page back on my main blog.  Please visit and see all of my posts about food, poetry, music, art, practical tips, and inspiration!

Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done,
In sending His beloved Son.

Watching the Good Shepherd,

Virginia Knowles
www.WatchTheShepherd.blogspot.com