Dear Meetpastordan Readers…When I was a youngster attending the Evangelical United Brethern Church in Crooksville Ohio, my favorite part of the service was singing hymns. I wasn’t particularly mindful of the words at that time, but I loved picking out the alto or tenor parts and fitting them into the musical fabric. This was when I first came to realize that it was these parts – the harmony parts – that really sold the melody line. But over the years, I have been drawn back to the words of some of the most well-known hymns, and have been both amazed and inspired at the depth of their message. Since I am in the spirit of thanksgiving today, I would like to delve into one of my personal favorites, “How Great Thou Art”.
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder, Consider all the works thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed;
Refrain:
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!
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;
Refrain
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:
Refrain
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 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!
I love the personal acclamation of these opening words…O Lord MY God! I am standing in AWE of YOU! Will I ever begin to grasp the magnificence, the splendor, the depth of who YOU are?
I believe that everyone reading this has probably asked that same question, and I believe God knew we would wrestle with…or in some cases struggle with, this very dilemma. But I also believed He provided answers for us in two specific scriptures. Isaiah 55:8-9. “My thoughts are not the same as your thoughts”, says the Lord. “And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” And again, in Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted throughout the earth.” I believe that God is saying to us, “Folks, don’t sit around trying to figure Me out. You’ll never be able to do that. I am God!” Enter into a relationship with Me; Get to know Me intimately through Jesus Christ, because “Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before I made anything at all, and is supreme over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15) The more you grow in your relationship with My Son, the more you will come to know and trust Me!
Apostle Paul addresses the majestic powers of God in the last part of verse 1 when he writes in Romans 1:20, “From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God has made. They can clearly see His invisible qualities, His eternal power and His divine nature, so they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God!” Therefore, when we begin to get only a glimpse of the unfathomable nature of God, we can only stand in AWE of who He is. And The Truth is, …HE IS! (He introduced Himself to Moses as “I AM…”. therefore, we proclaim that “He IS… He is EVERYTHING!) When this Truth starts taking shape in our hearts, how can our souls not sing, “How Great Thou Art!”
When we look at the second verse, we see another side of God’s grandeur. Contrasted with the mighty thunder and the power of His creation, our attention is now drawn to the birds sweetly singing in the trees, the unobtrusive sound of a flowing brook and a gentle breeze. In Matthew 6:26-34, Jesus assures us that God cares for the needs of the birds as well as the flowers that adorn His creation. The point of these verses is to draw our attention to how much more valuable to God are we than the birds or the flowers. Therefore, since He takes care of the lowly things, why should we worry about His provision for us? Verse 33 is very specific: “…He will give you ALL you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.” This is very clear; God rewards us for our trust and our faithfulness. Wow! “How Great Thou Art”.
Verse 3 unfolds the Gospel of Grace with a sparsity of words. Ephesians 1: 5 tells us, “God’s unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave Him great pleasure.” God gave Mankind from creation to 2021 years ago to solve the dilemma of SIN! After all, it was Sin that separated God from His proudest creation. Even today, it is Sin that prevents God from having an eternal relationship with many of His proudest creations. 1Peter 1:16 tells us, “You have to be holy because I am holy.” In other words, we can’t come into the presence of God if we are stained with sin. Revelation 21:27 reinforces that statement: “Nothing evil will be allowed to enter…only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (meaning, all who are now in Christ.)
But Romans 5:6 also states God’s perfect plan, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” “Utterly helpless” leaves little doubt about the pathetic state of Mankind. And did God wait for us to clean up our act so we could be worthy of His Gift of Grace? Absolutely not! Christ became the sacrificial lamb for Mankind while we were still sinners. This is the ultimate example of God’s unconditional love for His proudest creation. Again, one more reason to proclaim “How Great Thou Art”.
As Christ-followers, we anxiously await the fulfillment of the last verse. King Solomon had it right in Ecclesiastes 3 when he stated: “There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to sow, a time to reap; A time to grieve; a time to dance; a time to laugh; a time to cry; a time to live; a time to die.” We all know that a time will come when we will be called home. But because we are in-Christ, we can face this inevitable fate with confident expectation rather than fear.
Why? Because we know our true identity in-Christ. Our sins are forgiven; we are worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes; we are the righteousness of Christ; we have inherited eternal life; and we are grafted into God’s family. We are NOW His children! AND, we have God’s promise, as stated in Romans 8:1-2: “So now there is NO condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.
My greatest desire today is to bring into reality verse 4 of Psalm 27: “The one thing I ask of the Lord – the thing I seek most – is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in His Temple. And Psalm 84:10: “For better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” MY GOD, when I think of Your majestic qualities: Creator of the Universe, Godhead of the Trinity, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, Alpha and Omega, and Your personal qualities personifying love, mercy, grace, kindness and patience; I want to burst into song proclaiming, “How Great Thou Art!”
So, my question to you today is…Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If yes, then you too can look forward with confident expectation to the fulfillment of verse 4 of this magnificent hymn.
Feel free to respond to this post, and please “like” it and share it with other social media friends.
May God bless you abuntantly…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
Great job sweetheart! Wonderful message!