Lyrics
Verse 1
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.
Chorus
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!
Verse 2
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on a Cross, my burdens gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
Chorus
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!
Verse 3
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!"
Chorus
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!
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
How Great Thou Art is a hymn of adoration that moves from creation to the cross and then to the return of Christ. The opening verse gazes at stars and rolling thunder and reads them as the display of divine power across the universe. The refrain answers with the soul's own song to the Saviour God, repeating the title as a confession of praise.
The second verse turns to the Son, sent to die so that sin could be taken away. The wonder is that this sacrifice is hard to take in, and the singer names it as the reason for worship. The final verse looks ahead to Christ coming with a shout of acclamation, taking the believer home, and drawing humble adoration. Creation, redemption, and future hope are held together by one refrain, which makes the hymn well suited to congregational singing as well as quiet reflection.
Related Scripture
- Psalm 8:3-4 The psalmist considers the heavens, the work of God's fingers, and marvels at divine care.
- John 3:16 God gave his Son so that those who believe would have eternal life.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 The Lord is described as descending with a shout and gathering believers to himself.