“Oh 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
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!”
This hymn was written by Carl Boberg in 1886 and was translated from the German translation of “O Store Gud”. The beautiful lyrics convey a glimpse of the splendor and majesty of God.
Trying to write about the greatness of God is indeed a daunting task. It’s like trying to describe the magnificence of the Universe through our myopic view. However, we must not shy away from such a grandiose assignment, as the greatness of God needs to be magnified and shared with other believers.
The greatness of God is definitely awe inspiring, and we can appreciate God’s greatness through the works of his hands. They are visible to the human eye, and even though most people will never see a lot of this spectacular beauty in real time, we can put on our television or computers and enjoy the splendor of God as seen and recorded by more adventurous men and women.
Several years ago, the Discovery Channel released a DVD titled” Planet Earth”. It had several videos on different aspects of the Planet, like Deserts, Jungles, Mountains, Deep oceans, Shallow seas, Great Plains, Fresh waters, Forests, Caves, Pole to Pole, Ice Worlds and a projection of what the Earth will look like in future. Through recorded works like these, we can experience the works of God as a Master Creator.
The Almighty God is the Greatest Artist in Creation. There, you will see and appreciate the beautiful hues of the different colors. You will see the beautiful pink colors of a thousand flamingoes, as they gather at watering holes at sunset. You can see millions of different types of fishes teeming in the oceans and the seas. You can see the beautiful land animals, like the Lion, king of the Jungle, the Elephant, majestic in nature, the Giraffes, tall creatures with incredibly long necks. You can see the Zebras, with their beautiful stripes markings. For both Giraffes and Zebras, no two have the same patterns. Despite the fact that there are thousands of these creatures, each has its own unique markings. This is similar to the fingerprints of human beings. Over 6 Billion human beings live on Earth, yet, no two fingerprints are the same! When you think of how thoughtful God is in creation, you just cannot but exclaim in awesome wonder:
“How Great Thou Art!”
The Mountains are another work of God that fascinates man. They are so tall and majestic, not one is the same as the other. What of Volcanoes that sometimes lie dormant for years and suddenly explode in one day, spewing lava, ash and smoke and destroying everything in the path of molten lava? The Polar Regions of the world are “nature’s freezers”, with Polar bears and other creatures that God has placed in these remote locations.
What about the Deserts? These extremely hot places on earth are not very friendly to human beings, yet, God has placed different creatures to live there, and they have learned to adapt to the harsh climate of the desert. When rain falls in the desert, sometimes after many years, the dry land is transformed into a blooming Garden of Eden!
Rainforest are rich in flora and fauna. The Amazon rainforest remains an enigma, yet it is one of the many forests that God has created for the enjoyment of Man. There are several thousands of different species of plants and animals, and God made them all!
What of the Oceans? It is teeming with so many creatures. Whales are so huge that Man seems very small when he stands beside one of these. What of the Sun, the Moon and the Stars? They all declare the glory of God each day (Psalm 19:1).
Who knows what lies in Outer Space?
Finally, what of God’s special creation?
Man was formed in the image of God and He gave us dominion over all the works of his hand. The Psalmist confirms this in Psalm 8:
“Lord, our ruler,
Your name is famous all over the world.
The sky above shows how great you are.
2 You have taught children and babies to praise you.
You do that to show your enemies how strong you are.
Anyone who turns against you has to be quiet.
Your cruel enemies can do nothing!
3 You made the skies with your own hands.
When I look up, I see the moon and the stars.
You have put them all in their right place.
4 So why do you even think about men and women?
Why do you take care of humans?
5 You have made their place a little below God himself.
You have given them honour, like kings.
6 You have chosen them to rule everything that you have made.
You have put everything under their authority.
7-8 Yes! Humans rule them all:
Farm animals and wild animals,
Birds, fish and all the things that swim in the sea.
9 Lord, our ruler,
Your name is famous all over the world.” EASY
Isn’t it amazing that with all the resources that God has made available to Man, as we use them daily ,they are not yet depleted? The Ocean is still full of fish, the forests still have trees and the mines still produce gold and diamond and other precious metals. Yes, Man may have been careless with taking care of the environment, but God still proves every day that He is Lord over all!
We have tried to give a very small snapshot of God’s creation. However, thank God for the Bible, because in it, we can hear from God what he thinks about the works of his hands.
In Job 38:3-41, God says:
“Prepare yourself for a difficult job!
I will ask you some questions and you must answer them.
4 Were you with me when I made the world?
If you think you are so clever,
Tell me all about it!
5 It was me who decided the size of the world.
You surely must know that!
I measured it as I made it.
6 Tell me how I fixed the foundations of the earth.
Who made it stay in its right place? I did!
7 At the dawn of that day, the stars sang together.
They sang for joy with all the angels.
8 When the sea poured out of the ground,
I decided where its borders should be.
I kept the water in its right place.
9 I caused the clouds to come over the sea.
I covered it with complete darkness.
10 I put a border around the sea.
I locked it in its place.
11 I said to the sea, “This is as far as you can come.
You may come no further.
Your powerful waves must stop there!”
12 But you, Job, did you ever command the morning to begin?
No! You have never in your whole life told the sun when it should rise.
13 You have not told the light of day to cover the earth.
You have not told it to chase away the wicked things that happen in the night.
14 When the light of day comes,
People see the land clearly.
Its shape and colors show like bright clothes.
15 The light of day is too bright for wicked people.
It destroys their power to do cruel things.
16 You have not gone to the springs
that fill the seas with water.
You have not walked on the bottom of the deep seas.
17 Nobody has showed you the gates of death.
People go through them to that very dark place.
18 You do not understand the great size of the earth.
If you know all about that, tell me!
19 You do not know where light comes from.
You do not know where darkness has its home.
20 Can you take them to the places where they belong?
Do you know the roads that go there?
21 Surely you must know all this,
Because you have lived for so long!
It seems that you were already born
When I created these things!
22 Have you visited the place where I keep all the snow?
Or the place where I keep the hail?
23 I keep the snow and the hail ready to use.
I use them in times of trouble and wars.
24 You do not know where lightning comes from.
Or where the east wind starts
When it blows across the earth.
25 I make a path for the storms to travel along.
I tell the thunder and the strong rain which way to go.
26 I cause rain to fall in places where no person lives.
It makes even a desert become a wet place.
27 The rain falls on dry ground where nothing grows.
It causes grass to grow there again.
28 Do you know if the rain has a father?
Who is a father to the dew?
29 Who is a mother to the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost that makes the air so cold?
30 It causes the water to become as hard as stone.
The water of the sea also becomes ice.
31 You cannot make the stars of the Pleiades stay in their places.
You cannot change the shape of Orion.
32 You bring out the groups of stars
For people to see at different times of the year.
You cannot put the stars of the Great Bear and the Little Bear
In their right places in the sky.
33 You do not know the rules that the stars above obey.
You cannot make the earth obey those rules.
34 You cannot shout commands to the clouds.
You cannot tell them to pour down their rain,
So that a flood of water covers you.
35 You cannot send the lightning
To hit the place that you want it to go.
The lightning does not say to you,
“We are ready to go wherever you want.”
36 Who has given people wisdom,
So that they understand things with their minds?
37 Is anyone wise enough to count the clouds?
Can anyone cause the clouds to pour down rain from above?
38 The rain causes the dust of the dry ground to become hard.
The dry soil becomes pieces of mud.
39 When the lions become hungry,
Can you find food for the young lions to eat?
40 You cannot do that for them
When they sit in their caves.
You cannot help them as they hide in the bushes,
Ready to attack other animals.
41 You cannot find food for the ravens to eat.
You cannot help them when their babies cry to me
Because they are weak and hungry.’ EASY
In Job 39:1-30:
“Job, do you know that time when the goats on the mountains give birth?
Do you watch the wild deer when their babies are born?
2 Can you count the number of months that these animals are pregnant?
How long must they wait until they give birth?
3 They bend down low to the ground.
They give birth to the babies that they have carried inside them.
4 The young animals grow
And they become strong in the fields.
Then they leave their parents
And they do not return to them.
5 Did you send out the wild donkeys
To go wherever they want?
6 No! It was me who gave them the desert as their home.
I let them live in places where the ground has salt.
7 They stay far away from the busy cities.
They do not allow anyone to make them work.
8 Instead, they live on the hills,
Where they find fresh plants to eat.
9 Can you tell a wild ox to work for you?
No! At night, it will not stay to feed at your farm.
10 It will not let you tie it to a plough.
It will not agree to prepare your fields in the valleys.
11 A wild ox is very strong.
But you cannot trust it to help you with your difficult work.
12 It will not help you to bring in your harvest of grain.
It will not take the grain to your threshing floor.
13 When an ostrich is happy,
It waves its wings.
But it cannot use its wings to fly,
As a stork can do.
14 A mother ostrich leaves her eggs on the ground.
She lets the sand cause them to be warm.
15 She does not realize that people or wild animals
Might break the eggs with their feet.
16 She does not take care of her babies,
As if they did not belong to her.
She does not worry that all her work might be useless.
17 This is because I did not give wisdom to ostriches.
I did not give them minds that understand things.
18 But when an ostrich begins to run,
It can run very fast.
It can run faster than a horse
And someone who rides on it.
19 Did you, Job, give horses their strength?
Did you give them the long hair that they have on their necks?
20 You did not make horses able to jump like locusts.
They frighten people when they blow air out through their noses.
21 They stamp their feet on the ground,
As they prepare to go to a battle.
They are ready to go and attack the enemy.
22 A horse is brave and it is not afraid of anything.
It does not run away from the enemy's weapons.
23 The soldier who is riding it
Has his arrows ready at the horse's side.
Swords and spears shine brightly in the sun.
24 The horse shakes with joy
As it runs to the battle.
When the battle trumpet makes its noise,
The horse wants to run even faster!
25 When it hears the sound of the trumpet,
It makes a happy noise.
From far away, it recognizes the smell of the battle.
It hears the army officers as they shout their commands.]
26 Was it your wisdom, Job, that taught hawks how to fly?
No! You could not teach them to fly towards the south in winter.
27 Do eagles wait for your command
To fly high into the sky?
No! You could not teach them how to build their nests
High up in the mountains.
28 They live among the highest rocks.
That is where they stay at night.
They are safe on the sharp rocks.
29 From the high rocks,
Eagles look for their food.
They see small animals far away,
That they can catch and eat.
30 They come together around the bodies of dead animals.
The young eagles drink the blood.’ EASY
In Job 40: 15-24, God said:
“Listen! I created the monsters called Behemoth.
I made you and I made them too.
They eat grass, as cows do.
16 But look at the strength of their legs and their body!
17 Their tails are like the branches of a cedar tree.
Their legs are thick and very strong.
18 Their bones are like sticks made of bronze.
Their legs are as strong as iron.
19 These monsters are some of the greatest animals that I have made.
But I who made them can take my sword
And go near to them.
20 They eat the grass that grows on the hills.
That is where the wild animals play.
21 They lie down under the thorn trees.
They hide among the reeds at the edge of the water.
22 They rest in the shadow of the thorn trees,
And among the willow trees beside the water.
23 Even when the river is deep and dangerous,
These monsters are not afraid.
The water of the Jordan River may cover their mouths,
But they still feel safe.
24 There is no way that anyone can catch one of them.
No one can make its eyes blind.
No one can put a ring in its nose and lead it away.’ EASY
Finally, in Job 41: 1-34, God said:
“It is the same with the sea monsters called Leviathan.
Can you catch them with a hook?
Can you use a rope to keep their mouths shut?
2 Can you tie a rope through their noses?
Can you put a hook into their mouths.
3 No! They will not ask you nicely to be kind
And let them go free.
4 They will not make any agreement with you.
You cannot make them your slaves
To work for you as long as they live.
5 Leviathan is not something to enjoy at home, like a bird.
You cannot tie it with a rope,
So that your girls can play with it.
6 Traders do not buy it at the market.
They do not cut it up to sell it.
7 Job, can you throw spears into Leviathan's body to kill it?
Can you shoot arrows into its head?
8 If you try to take hold of it,
You will never forget the fight!
You will never try to do that again!
9 If anyone hopes to catch it,
He is deceiving himself.
As soon as he sees it,
He no longer feels so brave!
10 No one is brave enough to wake it.
So is anyone brave enough to argue against me?
11 Nobody has ever won against me
To make me pay them anything.
Everything in the whole world belongs to me.
12 I must tell you how strong Leviathan's legs are.
Their bodies are very strong
And they have a wonderful shape.
13 Nobody is able to remove their thick skin.
It is like armor that nobody can cut through.
14 Nobody is strong enough to open its mouth.
Its teeth make everyone afraid.
15 Its back is like rows of shields.
They are as hard as stone with no spaces between them.
16 Each shield is very near the next one.
Not even air can pass between them.
17 They are strongly joined together,
And nothing can pull them apart.
18 When Leviathan breathes out loudly,
Bright light shines from its nose.
Its eyes shine like the red sun at dawn.
19 Fire comes out from its mouth.
Bright flames shoot out!
20 Smoke pours out from its nose,
Like reeds that burn under a pot.
21 Its breath is hot enough to light a fire!
Flames pour out of its mouth.
22 Its neck is very strong.
Wherever it goes,
People shake with fear.
23 There are no weak places in its skin.
Its skin is as hard as iron.
24 It is cruel and it has no fear.
Its heart is as hard as stone.
25 Even the bravest people are afraid
When Leviathan appears.
They run away when it starts to move.
26 If you hit it with a sword,
You will not hurt it.
Spears, arrows and knives will be useless.
27 It can easily break iron or bronze weapons.
It breaks them as easily as grass or soft wood.
28 If you shoot arrows at it,
It will not run away.
If you use a sling to throw stones at it,
The stones will hurt it no more than bits of chaff.
29 If you hit it with a heavy stick,
That hurts it no more than a piece of straw.
If you throw a spear at it,
It laughs!
30 Its stomach has sharp pieces,
Like bits of a pot that someone has broken.
When it moves along,
It ploughs the soil under it.
31 When it swims in the deep water of the sea,
The water seems to boil.
It makes big waves,
Like oil that is boiling in a pot.
32 As it swims, the water behind it shines.
It makes waves that look like white hair on the sea.
33 There is no other animal like it in the whole world.
It is not afraid of anything.
34 It does not respect any other great animal.
It rules as king over all the proud animals.’ EASY
We close today in the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 77:13-14:
“God, your ways are holy.
There is no god as great as our God.
14 You are the God who does miracles.
You show the nations
That you are very powerful.” EASY
Yes, LORD, we echo the words of that great song:
“How Great Thou Art!”
