My Burden Gladly Bearing

One of the great hymns of the church has to be 'How Great Thou Art" written by Carl Bobert but made famous by George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows during the Billy Graham crusades. I grew up singing this beautiful hymn in church and its words never cease to stir my soul. 

The author begins the hymn by considering the world in which he lives and how he can see God's handiwork in all of it. I have mentioned this before but every time I see a plain, little brown sparrow I remember that God knows when a simple little sparrow falls and He cares, so I know He cares for me. Creation can remind us that God is ultimately in control of everything around us. He created all that we see for our enjoyment and our use. He is a God of detail and has intricately painted each flower, created every sunset and made no two of us alike. Each one of us is His special creation. 

The third verse of this hymn is the verse which humbles me to the very depths of my soul. Those words are a vivid reminder that because of MY sin, Christ died on the cross so that I might be free of it. It was MY sin which put Him there. But when the author writes "that on the cross, my burden GLADLY bearing", it is so hard for me to understand. God loves us so very much that He willingly sent His Son, Who had done no wrong, no sin, to die for us. We didn't deserve this great love but it was gladly given. At anytime Jesus could have stopped what He was doing. He could have said 'mankind isn't worth it' but He didn't. He paid the price for our sins so that we could have eternal life with Him. We didn't deserve it and nothing we could ever do would help us earn it but it was provided for us nonetheless. 

Some day Christ will come back to earth to take all those who put their trust in Him and accepted His free gift of salvation, to Heaven to be with Him forever. So many people have said that when they walk through the pearly gates they're going to dance and shout and do cartwheels etc. But I don't think they will. The author of this beautiful hymn didn't think they would either. In the fourth and final verse he says it all: "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!" When we reach Heaven and we realize that we are there only because Christ paid the price for us to be there, we're going to bow down on our face before the throne of God. How can we even think of standing in His presence? I for one will be prostrate before His throne thanking Him for dying for my sins so that I could have eternal life. 

I believe the author of this beautiful hymn had a deep realization of who he was and Who God is. I believe he had a close walk with the Lord and expressed his love for his Saviour through these verses which we can all enjoy now. Let me encourage you to read them over again and spend some time meditating about all that God has done for you. If you have never asked God to forgive you of your sins, why not do so today. Accept the gift of salvation and live your life for Him. God bless.

HOW GREAT THOU ART

Author: Carl Bobert
Date Written: 1886

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.

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.

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.

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!