How Great You Are!

Carl Gustav Boberg (1885)

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:

Refrain
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!

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!
Refrain

This week’s Lectionary texts have not left me all week. This hymn came to me last night as I was looking out my office window into the dark and the quiet. I looked up the history of the hymn and read the author may have been meditating on Psalm 8.

2012 is beginning like many of the years in my life. Naysayers who predicting terrible days ahead and others who think they have a plan to “turn it all around if we just ______”. Who are you listening to?

I personally do not think any of those big talkers really know what is going to happen in 2012. They can speak from history and trends and statistics but those who are truthful will admit that there are so many variables that make the future what it is – the future.

I am working on tuning my ears to what God has to say. I am focusing my attention on God’s promises. Does that mean that I am not living in reality? No, it means that I am choosing to live as Jesus did, in this world but not letting the world make my decisions for me. Why? Because I know the GREATNESS of my God.

This week I saw a series of pictures on CNN.com entitled “Our favorite travel snapshots”. If you missed this I hope you will take a few minutes to look at these pictures. There are some that will make you stop in wonder. Our Creator made all of that. And it is just a “bit” of what He has made. Go to the Hubble picture gallery if you want to see more.

And then there is the wondrous gift of His love and gift of eternity with Him that He made possible through Jesus. Yes, I can scarcely take that in! Every time I think about Jesus’ love, so huge to die for me, I tear up. I have hope no matter what may happen today or tomorrow or next month. My LORD and my GOD, how great You are!