In 1885, coming home from a church service in Kronobäck, Sweden, Carl Boberg observed a quickly growing and advancing thunderstorm. The lightning, the thunder, the winds and rain that came, were awesome to see and experience. After arriving home, Boberg opened his window to the clear sky that followed the storm to hear a thrush, as well as funeral bells tolling in the distance. The stillness of the nearby water, and the warm air following the rain, were powerfully beautiful. That evening, inspired by all he experienced, he wrote the song "O Store Gud" (O Great God).
In the 1930s, British missionary Stuart Hine first heard a Russian translation of the German version of "O Store Gud" in the Carpathian Mountains (Ukraine). Inspired by the song, he paraphrased it into English under the title "How Great Thou Art." He added his own verses to Boberg's. The third verse ("And when I think...") was written after Hine and his wife entered a Ukrainian village just in time to witness the repentance of several villagers, the result of Hine giving a woman in the village a Bible several years prior. The fourth verse ("When Christ shall come...") was written following World War II, when Hine met an exiled Polish man separated from his wife, who knew he would probably never see her again on earth, but joyfully looked forward to their reunion with Christ in Heaven.
And centuries before Jesus was born to Mary, the psalmist praised God as Creator of the many wonders around him in Psalm 104. On Sunday we read just the opening and closing of Psalm 104, but if you delve into the interior verses, you'll discover the psalmist gushing over it all, from mundane and practical vegetation (v. 14) to the vast and terrifying sea (v. 25-26). He marvels at darkness and the creatures hidden within (v. 20-21). He beholds the powerful cedars of Lebanon, home to the birds and storks (v. 16-17). He takes joy in wine, and oil, and bread (v. 15).
The message of Psalm 104, and of "How Great Thou Art," is to recognize God's greatness displayed all around us in his creation. Have you done that today? It may be hot out... isn't the life-giving sun amazing? As you prepare dinner tonight... thank God for the goodness of food and drink! When you are talking with your friend... isn't it incredible how God intertwines our souls with others?
Take a moment as often as God prompts you to look, taste, touch, listen, or smell the world around you, and praise God for it. See his creativity in everything from the scent of the morning dew to the beauty and diversity of music.
Worship is found in these moments.
When we allow God to speak into them, we see his glory, and we can respond with praise.
"May my meditation be pleasing to [God], as I rejoice in the LORD." (v. 34)
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