Psalm 149:1 Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints.
The history of the hymn How Great Thou Art begins with Mr. Carl Gustaf Boberg (1859-1940). He was a Swedish Pastor, editor, and member of the Swedish parliament. Mr. Boberg was enjoying a nice walk when a thunderstorm suddenly appeared out of nowhere. A severe wind began to blow. After the storm was over, Mr. Boberg looked out over the clear bay. He then heard a church bell in the distance. And the words to How Great Thou Art begin to form in his heart — O Lord, my God, When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands hath made. . .
Psalm 150:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 48:1 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.
One thing that is fading quickly in American Christianity is where people that realize How Great God is.. An entitlement mentality has created this mindset that God is a servant to us, rather than the opposite being true. Kids today can’t see the magnificence of God through the eyes of a TV or a cell phone… You have to see God in the larger scale… To travel across across the plains and climb up into the mountains; then gaze across the valleys down into the streams.. Take time to stand beside a waterfall as the sound pounds away the noises of the world.
I recall going though Bavaria. Climbing up the mountainsides, walking next to the massive rapids of the Gorge all trickle down to a peaceful stream rich in minerals. Simply being in awe of all of what God had prepared. Then a short ride over in Germany to sit on a hillside next to an old castle, having a picnic overlooking the fields.
God is worthy of our praise tonight:
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Perhaps where God is so great is that He made a way…
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
He was not willing that any should perish… so He made a way…
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
That way was His Son Jesus Christ…
John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Some tonight can’t say “How Great thou Art” because they’ve never made the choice to get saved.
You see while God is mighty and worthy of praise when we behold all that He has created… God does is best work in the hearts of those that love Him.