How Great Thou Art

Daily Devotions with Pastor Chuck

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[Read to the bottom and then watch the video]

From the book of Nehemiah,

“. . . and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, ‘I beseech Thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God’ ” (Nehemiah 1:4-5 – NASB)
“When I saw their fear I rose and spoke to the nobles, officials, and the rest of the people, ‘Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome . . .’ ” (Nehemiah 4:14 – NASB)
“Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God . . .” (Nehemiah 9:32 – NASB)

From the Book of Daniel,

“And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, ‘Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God . . .” (Daniel 9:4 – NASB)

Yesterday, as I listened to some old hymns, I was particularly struck by the words of that well-known one that declares of our God, “How Great Thou Art.” As Nehemiah and Daniel emphasize, our God is an “awesome God” . . . .

Oh How Great He is!

This old hymn is in my memory . . . . and I love the way its words proclaim the glory of my “great and awesome God.”

“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 thro’-out the universe displayed.”

Singing these words or just speaking them brings the response that goes to make up the 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!”

Great and Awesome

Oh our “great and awesome God!” it is so very true, “How great Thou art!” When I just take time to “consider all . . . Thy hands have made” I am in awe, and I sing to Thee and pray it comes to Thee as a most sweet and fragrant aroma!

“When thro’ 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 so we proclaim . . . .

“O may Thy glorious name be blessed and exalted above all blessing and praise! Thou alone art the LORD. Thou hast made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. Thou didst give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before Thee. Thou art the LORD God . . .” (Nehemiah 9:5-7 – NASB)

Then “sings my soul . . . to Thee…” Let us, who are the redeemed, sing to our God, from the very depths of our souls . . .

“How great Thou art!”

The Great Hymns Live On

There are many great hymns that have stood the test of time. And oh how wonderful it is to hear them sung in churches around the world. However, in our time, it’s surprising when we hear old hymns sung in other settings, as was the case on the TV show “Duets.

Watch and listen as this duet proclaims the greatness of our God. Watch the responses of the judges and consider the many hearts that were moved with the powerful words of this forever-favorite hymn.

In 2012, award-winning country singer Jennifer Nettles joined with amateur John Glosson to perform “How Great Thou Art” in the singing competition “Duets.” Nettles was Glosson’s coach in the competition. She had chosen him from her church’s choir to compete and together they brought this song from a small-town sanctuary to the world-wide stage.