Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
How Great Thou Art
By: Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940)
Listen to this orchestral version as you read. Please check out the video log below which will guide you through a worshipful reflection of this stanza, often only available to Subscribers and Free Members.
This week we close our consideration of this beloved hymn by looking into the refrain that comes as a response to each of the stanzas we have meticulously meandered through over the last four weeks. Check out all those blogs and their media content in the Blogs tab at the top. Take a few minutes today to ready your soul for your song of praise to our Savior and God. Let’s tune our hearts.
Then Sings My Soul
We have all had them. Those moments when God revealed Himself and we are left with a soul full of praise. Sometimes it is in creation, other times in the beauty of daily living. He certainly showed His greatness on the cross, and will when He returns. Our souls sing in those moments, and sometimes our voices do as well. The Psalmist said it like this.
Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty…Psalm 104:1 ESV
The clear instruction in Scripture is for us to direct our souls to bless the Lord because He is great! The soul can bless the Lord with or without the voice. I am a singer so many times as I was praising my soul has become overwhelmed with a sense of God’s greatness, but an even more normal and regular occurrence is my soul responding to God’s greatness which leads to a song. My soul leads the way, and my song becomes just one expression, albeit a very valuable and Biblical one.
You see, our praise more often does not need a microphone because our voice is not even involved. We are called to live lives that declare the greatness of God, with or without a microphone. I have had the opportunity to stand at a microphone in a studio an offer my praise to God. It is thrilling and exciting, but mostly because I have had something great to sing about, my Savior God.
Far more often, there has been no microphone and no studio. No one standing around to hear and no device to capture the sound. And it didn’t matter because there was no sound to capture. I simply poured out my praise from my soul to the heart of God.
Can you manufacture those moments? I don’t believe so. I do believe you can prepare for them, even though sometimes God just shows up and leaves your jaw-dropped on the ground.
We prepare by removing the hindrances which might impair our ability to observe His greatness, and cultivating the heart that easily acknowledge it. But it is not a two-step process as much as an on-going discipline.
So I wonder what hindrances might need removing today? Maybe you see them as distractions, but beware they may be hindrances masquerading as such. If you are good in that area, what are you actively doing to cultivate a greatness-declaring soul? Spend a few moments ask the Holy Spirit to disciple you in your praise-making.
My Savior God to Thee
But sometimes you do need a microphone, and a guitar too! You find yourself moments after the latest “then” and you MUST offer your praise to God. Maybe you felt it in your soul, saw it with your eyes, heard it with your ears, etc., and you simply have to respond.
…you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 2 Samuel 7:22 ESV
I think of this as the spontaneous praise of a heart that has been made aware of Who God is. You can not cultivate this. It just happens. But it is more conducive in the heart that is free from hindrances.
How many people look at the grand vista of a sunset and either lack the capacity or are hindered to acknowledge the Maker of it? How many feel the kindness of another and fail to see the One who is the Source of it? How many wake to a new day and can not appreciate the new mercies it holds, each gifts from the Creator of them all?
We are all guilty of allowing these moments to slip by without entering into a rightful and appropriate “then”. There are a cacophony of noises and distractions that fill our hearts with other responses. Keep finding moments like this in your day to recalibrate. We are here to help anytime.
I pray you will have many more “then” moments like the ones this great hymn deliniates. I hope we can help you routinely remove hindrances to such expressions and be a source of encouragement as you cultivate a heart that anticipates them. Ask Jesus to surprise you today with some revelation of His greatness. Then sing from your soul.
Jesus, my soul sings of your greatness. Help me remove the hindrances and distractions that might dampen my praise and cultivate the environments and perspectives that will allow it to resonate. Then sings my soul. In Jesus name. Amen.
Great-ful Tuning!
Keep coming back and we will work help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence. We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.
Like what you finding here? Fill out the form to the right to get an email with each fresh post and updates of new tools to help you be Resonant.
Please comment below and share if you have found this helpful in your journey of being more resonant.
Below is content always available to Subscribers, often to Free Members, but here to everyone. Want to learn more about accessing all the additional material in the Subscriber Content Library, click here, or the Free Member Content Library with some examples of the complete Subscribers content, click here.
Everyone enjoy this video and transcript below!
Video 10.5 Transcript
Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.
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!
In every one of those moments described in every preceding stanza, and so many more, my soul will sing to Him of His greatness. When I consider His work in creation, my soul sings His greatness. Think on that work and give Him praise.
When I consider how He reveals Himself to me in the simple daily things and the significant momentous times my soul sings. As I journey through the varying experiences of life, the highs and lows, and realize He presence ever with me, I am determined to give Him glory. Will you?
As I reflect on His laying down His life to pay for my sins, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and worship. Though I move along from His cross taking up my own, I want to routinely come back to the foot of it and give Him praise. Look up, visualize His cross and thank Him for it.
All other moments of praise point to the last, eternal ones when finally in His glorious, heavenly presence we will offer Him praise as never before possible. Ask Jesus to stir a longing for those moments, even as you make the most of every one of these.
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.
Sing
Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.
Image Attributions
Then Sings My Soul – https://pixabay.com/photos/worship-singing-inspiration-church-4088561/
No Microphone Necessary – https://pixabay.com/photos/music-studio-music-studio-sound-1290097/
How Great Thou Art – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/sunset-web-banner-music-guitar-1012477/
Leave a Reply