[246 words]
“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.”
This wonderful song came from a Swedish Folk melody written in 1885. It was called “O Mighty God.” It was mostly forgotten until Stuart Hines revised it. Hines was in Russia near the Carpathian Mountains when he expanded the words and arrangement. The first verse was composed when he was caught in a thunderstorm near a Carpathian village. The second verse was composed when he heard the birds sing near the Romanian border. The third verse was written when he witnessed many of the Carpathian Mountain dwellers come to Christ. He wrote the fourth verse upon his return to England.
This song would definitely be among my favorite songs. The song inspires the awe in our spirit by focusing on the power of God’s nature. “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made” (Romans 1:20).
God’s power can be seen by the stars, plant life, and by animal and human reproduction. The song writer heard rolling thunder and saw lightning bolts. If a person’s faith has weakened, he should sing this song and think about the power behind the creation.
The history of this song was taken from the book, Then Sings My Soul by Robert J. Morgan.
Carrol Duncan
Clarendon Church of Christ
Clarendon, TX