June 17, 2012 - Hymn Spotlight

How Great Thou Art

     The hymn How Great Thou Art dates back to the late nineteenth century, when Swedish pastor Carl G. Boberg penned the text after considering the majesty of God’s creation one summer evening.  In the decades following, Boberg’s text was translated to German and then to Russian.  In the mid- twentieth century, the British missionary Stuart Hine discovered the text while serving in the Ukraine.  He and his wife translated the Russian text into the English version we sing today.  George Beverly Shea popularized the hymn in America, singing it over 100 times during the Billy Graham Crusades.

     Of the hymn’s significance, Hine said, “When we reach that heavenly home, we will fully understand the greatness of God and will bow in humble adoration, saying to Him, ‘O Lord my God, how great thou art!’”