Midwatch, 1950s USN in the Caribbean.
I climbed up into the shears for my lookout stint. Quick 180 degree scan - nothing - PITCH black.
I looked up and was stunned. From horizon to horizon, the sky was FILTHY with stars - could barely see any black behind them.
Here I am, one insignificant piece of protoplasm in a tiny boat is the middle of a big ocean on a small planet amidst all this jaw-dropping magnificence.
My ego took a big hit that night.
How Great Thou Art
Songwriters
Stuart K. Hine
Published by
Manna Music
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.
Chorus:
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!
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 see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
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!
And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on a Cross, my burdens gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.
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!
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 then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!”
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!
The Story Behind How Great Thou Art
Stuart K. Hine was a Bristish Methodist missionary on a mission trip in Ukraine in 1931 when he heard the Russian translation of a German song inspired by Carl Boberg’s poem “O Store Gud” (O Great God). Hine began to translation the song to English and added several verses. The third verse was inspired by the conversion of villagers in Russia who cried out to God loudly as the repented and realized God’s love and mercy - “And when I think that God, His Son not sparing, sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in.”
Stuart Hine and his family left Ukraine as famine and World War Two began, and settled in Somerset, Britain where he continued to serve as a missionary to Polish refugees. The forth verse of “How Great Thou Art” was inspired by displaced Russians who experienced great loss and looked forward to seeing their loved ones again in heaven - “When Christ shall come with shoult of acclamation to take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.”
The final English version of “How Great Thou Art” was published in 1949 and quickly spread among Britian, Africa, India and America.
Would love to have seen that...got a little taste in Northern Saskatchewan once
Stunning. I can’t imagine the feeling. I can see how that would be life altering. We could all use a serious reality check from time to time, especially when we are mad at some waitress who may be new or may have a dozen serious problems she is juggling at home. When you have these silly first world problems, it would be nice to be able to look up into such a sky and regain a perspective on what is really important and what is really not that important. The waitress is a little slow. So what.
We were anchored way off the coast of Maine one time, and I had that experience. One night the water was extremely still and I could see the reflection of the stars on the surface, Awesome!