How Great Thou Art

How Great Thou Art

by: Bill Bratt

God is Great

Psalms 104:1-35 (NKJV) "Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, {2} Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. {3} He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, {4} Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire. {5} You who laid the foundations of the earth, So that it should not be moved forever, {6} You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters stood above the mountains. {7} At Your rebuke they fled; At the voice of Your thunder they hastened away. {8} They went up over the mountains; They went down into the valleys, To the place which You founded for them. {9} You have set a boundary that they may not pass over, That they may not return to cover the earth. {10} He sends the springs into the valleys, They flow among the hills. {11} They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst. {12} By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches. {13} He waters the hills from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works. {14} He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the service of man, That he may bring forth food from the earth, {15} And wine that makes glad the heart of man, Oil to make his face shine, And bread which strengthens man's heart. {16} The trees of the LORD are full of sap, The cedars of Lebanon which He planted, {17} Where the birds make their nests; The stork has her home in the fir trees. {18} The high hills are for the wild goats; The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers. {19} He appointed the moon for seasons; The sun knows its going down. {20} You make darkness, and it is night, In which all the beasts of the forest creep about. {21} The young lions roar after their prey, And seek their food from God. {22} When the sun rises, they gather together And lie down in their dens. {23} Man goes out to his work And to his labor until the evening. {24} O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions; {25} This great and wide sea, In which are innumerable teeming things, Living things both small and great. {26} There the ships sail about; There is that Leviathan Which You have made to play there. {27} These all wait for You, That You may give them their food in due season. {28} What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good. {29} You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. {30} You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth. {31} May the glory of the LORD endure forever; May the LORD rejoice in His works. {32} He looks on the earth, and it trembles; He touches the hills, and they smoke. {33} I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. {34} May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the LORD. {35} May sinners be consumed from the earth, And the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD!" As you read this chapter did you sense the greatness of God with His involvement in the creation of the mountains, valleys, waters, grass, trees, wine, birds, moon and the sun?

God is the Creator

How great is God? He is the creator of all creation. Gen 1:1-5 (NKJV) says: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. {2} The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. {3} Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. {4} And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. {5} God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day." This universe did not just happen, it was created by God Almighty. "The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork." Psalms 19:1 (NKJV)

God is the Great Life-Giver

Gen 1:11-12 (NKJV) says: "Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so. {12} And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good."
Gen 1:20-27 (NKJV) continues "Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens." {21} So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. {22} And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." {23} So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. {24} Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind"; and it was so. {25} And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. {26} Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." {27} So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." Gen 2:7 (NKJV) "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."
The very existence of life demands a life-giver! God is that great life-giver! Did you notice in Gen. 1:24-28 that God is talking and says that the living creatures would bring forth "according to their kind." Cows produce cows and horses produce horses. To man, God says "be fruitful and multiply." Reproduction of life is a gift from God. God is the great life-sustainer.

God is the Great Law-Giver

     Think for a moment about all of the laws that we take for granted. The laws of science, physics, chemistry and of our universe. You can depend upon these laws. These laws are a part of an orderly universe.
     You know that if you drop a china dish that the law of gravity will cause it to fall to the floor and break. You know that water freezes at 32 degrees and it boils at 212 degrees. We can depend on these laws.
     God also gave man His spiritual laws, statutes, and judgments. God's ten commandments are eternal. God gave them to us so we can have a good relationship with Him and with our neighbors, friends, family and co-workers.
     The existence of law demands a great law-giver and that law-giver is God. James 4:12 (NLT) says: "God alone, who made the law, can rightly judge among us. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. "

God is the God of Love and Mercy

God has all power, glory and majesty and yet He is also a God of love and mercy. We are all familiar with: John 3:16 (NKJV) "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Psalms 107:1 (NKJV) "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."
Eph 2:8-10 (NKJV) "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, {9} not of works, lest anyone should boast. {10} For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
God is very loving, merciful, kind and gracious. He wants all men to come to the knowledge of His truth and be saved (1 Tim 2:4 NKJV).

In Conclusion:

     Take some time and meditate on How Great God Is. Think about God's creation: the beauty of a sunset, a snow-capped mountain, the trees turning color in the autumn, the blooming of the flowers in the spring and the birth of a baby.

     Re-read Psalms 104 and meditate on it.

     Let's remember How Great God Is!
Psalms 95:3 (NKJV) "For the LORD is the great God, And the great King above all gods."