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!
How Great Thou Art
By: Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940)
Listen to this orchestral version as you read. Please be sure to experience the worship-cultivating podcast below.
We close out our five week look into this classic hymn with some final thoughts about the refrain. Two things we will consider. There is a deliberate response to a definite subject. We must not be careless in our response to God, and He is undeniably the object of our affection. Let’s think about this.
Deliberate
We must be thoughtful and determined in our response to God. Throughout the hymn we see the author actively pursuing a deeper awareness of God. Here are some of the words that reveal this.
- when I…consider
- I see…Thy power
- when I look
- when I think
- I shall bow
He is living with eyes wide open, ready to receive any revelation that God gives of His greatness. On every occasion he then responds to what he has encountered with a determination to sing from His soul to the greatness of God. His deeper awareness prompts Him to offer praise, but he did not stumble upon that deeper awareness. He diligently pursued.
Are you willing to pursue God as intently? Are you determined to be very deliberate in your response when you see the greatness of God revealed? We could learn some lessons from this hymn about how to look for the greatness of God around us.
We will know we have learned those lessons when we find ourselves…considering, looking for, thinking about…God’s greatness. We will practice what we have learned when we commit to a deliberate, calculated and intentional response to Him by lifting our souls and our voices in praise. We will echo the Psalmists words with our lips and our lives.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. Psalm 104:33 ESV
But that reasoned response does not mean it is dispassionate. Quite the contrary. That deliberateness informs our passion, and is actually the first step on the journey towards it.
Duty, Discipline, Delight
We know we should long to be a soul that is ready to sing at any and every moment, but sometimes we just do not feel like it. Still it is our duty. Even when it is not easy.
As we begin to develop patterns that remove hinderances to worship and cultivate a watchful heart, what once felt like duty slowly transforms into something else. It has a different rhythm to it. It becomes our discipline. And each of us needs to find our own rhythm, which will not be identical to anyone else’s.
As we become more comfortable with our unique rhythm, it becomes easier to maintain. It seems less and less like work. There may be seasons when we fall out of rhythm, but we are able to find it again. That is when the discipline has become something like breathing, and it is just as life-sustaining. It is delight.
This does not happen overnight, but it can become a way of living if you keep at it. If you are deliberate, but with grace. Where are you on the duty-discipline-delight continuum? Wherever you may be, are you ready to continue your journey, or find your way back as the was may be?
Jesus, I want to be deliberate in my relationship with You. I want to have eyes and ears and a heart wide open to You. Help me cultivate this everyday, until I find myself routinely and spontaneously singing of Your greatness. In Jesus name. Amen
Definite
The one thing that makes this entire pursuit possible, and at the same time worthwhile, is the very object of this passion. He calls us to Himself, makes the way for us to come, enables us to move toward Him, and is Himself the satisfaction discover when we get there. We know the One that our soul loves because He has made Himself know to us.
He is our Savior God. And there is no one like Him.
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. Psalm 96:4 ESV
We are not seeking to experience some out-of-body experience. We are not trying to numb or dull your senses to achieve some measure of peace. We are not expressing our wonder to the universe.
Instead we are seeking a greater awareness of God with heart, soul, mind and strength. We are attempting to heighten our senses so as to find peace in the greatness of His presence. We are expressing our wonder to our Great Savior.
He is our Savior God. And there is no one like Him.
We have identified and are continuing to identify His worth far above all the other gods that would clamor for our affection and attention. We have examined them in light of Him and found them lacking. They can not save us. He already has.
We sing of Him and for Him, but we also sing to Him. To the glory of His greatness!
He is our Savior God. And there is no one like Him.
Ask Him for His help as you seek to praise Him from deep in your soul.
Jesus, I want to praise You in every situation for all You have done and all You are. You are my Savior, my God, and there is no one like You. Help me today to be deliberate and definite in declaring Your greatness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Great-ful Thinking!
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Everyone else enjoy this podcast and the transcript below! It features meditative music and moments to contemplate the Scriptures and reflections shared.
Podcast 10.5 Transcript
Welcome to Thursday Thoughts at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s think about this.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
Psalm 104:1 ESV
Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty,
The Psalmist instructs his soul to bless the Lord, and we enter the refrain with our own praise in light of how God has revealed Himself through each stanza of this hymn. In the wonder of the universe His greatness is on display. Commit to sing of His greatness.
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
2 Samuel 7:22 ESV
…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.
He is great and our voices must declare there is none like Him. In the beauty of the created world in which we live, His greatness is on display. Determine to echo His greatness in your soul.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
Psalm 104:33 ESV
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
We sing from our souls our whole life long to the One who gives us breath. He breathed His last on the cross to enable our praise. In the sacrifice of our Savior, His greatness is on display. Vow to sing praise to Him.
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
Psalm 96:4 ESV
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
And I will be a part of that praise. Certainly here, but just as well when I finally see Him face-to-face. In His Second Coming, His greatness will be on display. Plan to give Him praise that day, but get ready by declaring His greatness today, and everyday.
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has come to your mind, or listen to what He is saying to you, then I will read our text once more.
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!
Take the mindfulness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.
Image Attributions
How Great Thou Art – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/cross-jesus-christ-easter-3254876/
Then Sings My Soul – https://pixabay.com/photos/microphone-boy-studio-screaming-1209816/
My Savior God to Thee – https://pixabay.com/photos/people-woman-microphone-dark-2600800/
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