It’s November, and the time has come to give thanks to the Lord and spend quality time with family. By listening to worship music, one can celebrate thankfulness and gratitude for God and all He provides. Hymns and praise songs existed before Christ’s birth. Oftentimes, poets and priests wrote the words for hymns, then sent these lyrics to musicians who transcribed them into songs. Today, about 950,000 hymns exist in total, but most hymnals contain only a few hundred. Below are some classic hymns to perfect a Thanksgiving playlist!
“How Great Thou Art” was composed in 1885 by Carl Boberg (1859-1940), a Swedish poet and preacher. First written in Swedish as “O Store Gud,” this hymn was later translated to English. Boberg found the inspiration for the hymn’s lyrics when he was walking home from a church service one summer afternoon and a sudden storm hit. Loud thunder boomed and lightning struck, yet when he arrived home, the sky cleared up and the storm was replaced by a rainbow while church bells rang. A year later, his poem was matched to a Swedish folk tune, becoming the hymn it is today. “How Great Thou Art” is often regarded as the second most popular hymn after “Amazing Grace.”
Indeed, “Amazing Grace” is perhaps the most well-known hymn among Christians today. Its words were written in 1772 by English poet John Newton (1725-1806). After being set to many different tunes, the lyrics were paired with the melody known today in 1835. Newton wrote the words based on a personal experience he had with God. Although he grew up without any particular religious beliefs, he became a Christian after he left the Royal Navy and grew involved with the Atlantic slave trade. On one sea voyage from Africa, his ship was hit with a storm so dangerous he cried out to God for mercy. Afterwards, Newton decided to study Christian theology and became an abolitionist, going on to write 348 hymns throughout his lifetime.
Finally, another well-known Christian hymn is “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” which was written by Thomas Chisholm, an American poet and Methodist minister. Chisholm was born in 1866 and wrote the lyrics of over 1,200 hymns in his lifetime. The phrase “great is thy faithfulness,” sung frequently throughout the hymn, is found in Lamentations 3:23. Chisholm submitted this work as a poem to William Runyan, a Christian composer, who set the sacred words to music.
As Thanksgiving approaches, listening to hymns is a wonderful way both to be reminded of what there is to be grateful for and to rejoice in the beauty of music.
Image credit: iStock
Work Cited
“How Great Thou Art.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 July 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Great_Thou_Art.
“Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Aug. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Is_Thy_Faithfulness.
“Amazing Grace.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Aug. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace.