Matt Tullos


Great music and art knows no boundaries. Beethoven had his 9th symphony. Davinci had his Mona Lisa. Elizabeth Barrett Browning had her Sonnets. Vanilla Ice had… well… scratch that one. Seriously though, great artists create transcendent moments. One example:

“How Great Thou Art”

Swedish preacher, Carl Boberg, wrote the words to this song on his way back from church in 1886. Wouldn’t you love to know what happened in that service?

Here’s a guy trudging through a thunderstorm composing words of arguably the greatest hymn ever written. But the whole story doesn’t stop with a guy singing in the rain.

Forty years later a missionary couple heard the words and music deep in the tundra of Russia and the hymn migrated westward. It finally reached its home in our worship culture in 1957 when Billy Graham’s evangelistic team launched it worldwide beginning with the New York City Crusade. And the rest is history.

Chris Tomlin’s version insured that the song’s not over. It reminds us that creation cries out the truth of God’s greatness. Perhaps greater words can only be found in Psalms.

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

“How great Thou Art!” reaches into the core of our being that part of us that connects with our creator. We sing this song because just like David a young believer couldn’t keep the lid on his gratitude. His soul sang!