The Wonder of Creation and the Majesty of God
Whether performed by thunderous symphony orchestras or sung acapella around evening campfires, "How Great Thou Art" holds a unique ability to lift the human spirit from earthly concerns into awe-inspiring worship of the Almighty. Yet this hymn was not born in a grand university or church study, but on a dirt path in rural Sweden during a sudden, violent summer thunderstorm.
Carl Boberg and the Afternoon Walk of 1885
Carl Gustav Boberg was a 26-year-old Swedish pastor, poet, and editor living in the coastal town of Mönsterås on the southeastern coast of Sweden. In the summer of 1885, Boberg was walking home from church across picturesque rural fields bordering Kronobäck bay.
The afternoon was serene, hot, and still. Suddenly, dark clouds gathered with terrifying speed on the horizon. The sky turned an ominous violet-black, and a violent squall swept across the bay. Fierce gale-force winds whipped through the wheat fields, and jagged bolts of lightning pierced the heavens, accompanied by deafening crashes of thunder.
Boberg took refuge in a nearby farm shed as torrential rain pounded down upon the countryside. For twenty minutes, the elements clashed with breathtaking power, demonstrating the raw majesty of nature.
The Calm After the Storm: Nature's Choir
As quickly as the tempest had descended, the clouds broke apart. The sun emerged with radiant warmth, painting a breathtaking rainbow across the glistening landscape. Droplets of rain sparkled like diamonds on the leaves and grasses. Across the quiet bay, church bells began to toll for the evening service, and from a nearby grove, a blackbird began pouring out a sweet, tranquil melody.
Boberg stood on the farmhouse porch, completely overwhelmed by the dramatic contrast between the fury of the storm and the peace that followed. Falling to his knees in adoration, he opened his Bible to Psalm 8: "O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens."
Returning to his home that evening, Boberg took paper and pen and poured out his emotions into a nine-stanza Swedish poem entitled "O Store Gud" (O Great God):
"O Store Gud, när jag den värld beskådar,
Som Du har skapat med ditt allmaktsord..."
(O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made...)
A Global Journey: From Sweden to Russia to the World
The poem was matched to an old Swedish folk melody and published in local religious papers. But the hymn's global destiny was only just beginning. Its journey across continents is one of the most remarkable stories of Christian hymnology:
- To Germany and Russia: In 1907, Manfred von Glehn translated the Swedish text into German ("Wie groß bist Du"). Five years later, in 1912, the prominent Russian Baptist leader and poet Ivan S. Prokhanov translated the German version into Russian, where it became a cherished anthem across underground churches during the Soviet era.
- To the Ukrainian Carpathians: In the 1920s and 30s, an English missionary named Stuart K. Hine and his wife were ministering in the Carpathian mountains among Polish and Russian villages. Hine heard the villagers singing the Russian hymn during evangelistic cottage meetings, its melody echoing through the mountain valleys.
- Stuart Hine's English Stanzas: Inspired by his travels through Ukraine, Hine translated the first three Russian stanzas into English. When World War II ended and thousands of displaced refugees arrived in Britain from Eastern Europe, Hine penned the final, triumphant fourth verse celebrating the Second Coming of Christ:
"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!"
The Billy Graham Revivals
In 1954, Canadian baritone George Beverly Shea received a copy of Stuart Hine’s leaflet. Shea introduced the song to evangelist Billy Graham. During the historic sixteen-week Madison Square Garden crusade in New York City in 1957, Shea sang "How Great Thou Art" nearly one hundred times. The crusade was broadcast across national television and radio, instantly turning the hymn into an international phenomenon.
A Call to Worship
Today, whether sung in Swedish, Russian, English, Spanish, or Swahili, "How Great Thou Art" bridges centuries and cultures. It reminds believers that the same God who commands the lightning and orchestrates the galaxies is the God who condescended in infinite love to bear our burden on the cross of Calvary. Whenever your heart feels weary, pause and read its majestic stanzas—and lift your voice to proclaim: "Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee: How great Thou art!"