Many years ago, I first heard a well-known story about Johannes Kepler, the famed astronomer.
Kepler was much troubled by one of his friends who denied the existence of God and took the view of the universe which is so prevalent today, namely, that it came into being of itself by mechanical methods.
In order to convince his friend, Kepler constructed a model of the sun with the planets circling round it. When his friend came into the Observatory and saw the beautiful model, he exclaimed with delight, 'How beautiful it is! Who made it?' And Kepler carelessly answered, 'No one made it: it made itself.'
His friend looked at him and said, 'Nonsense, tell me who made it.' Kepler then replied, 'Friend, you say that this little toy could not make itself. It is but a very weak imitation of this great universe which, I understood, you believe did make itself.'
I cannot help but think about this story whenever, on occasion, we sing in church the famous hymn, How Great Thou Art, first penned by Carl Boberg and translated into English by Stuart K. Hine, but made famous by George Beverly Shea. Perhaps you have heard these words.
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy Hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow'r 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!
The second stanza continues the theme of seeing the majesty of God in creation.
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
I hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.
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!
But the God Who created us also redeemed us. Genesis chapter 3 records the terrible events of the fall of mankind. But Praise God that He did not leave us in our broken condition. No sooner had Adam and Eve sinned against God than He had set about redeeming His fallen creation.
And thus, the great hymn is not complete without the third and fourth stanzas.
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 shouts of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, "My God, how great Thou art!"
Amen!
Kepler was much troubled by one of his friends who denied the existence of God and took the view of the universe which is so prevalent today, namely, that it came into being of itself by mechanical methods.
In order to convince his friend, Kepler constructed a model of the sun with the planets circling round it. When his friend came into the Observatory and saw the beautiful model, he exclaimed with delight, 'How beautiful it is! Who made it?' And Kepler carelessly answered, 'No one made it: it made itself.'
His friend looked at him and said, 'Nonsense, tell me who made it.' Kepler then replied, 'Friend, you say that this little toy could not make itself. It is but a very weak imitation of this great universe which, I understood, you believe did make itself.'
I cannot help but think about this story whenever, on occasion, we sing in church the famous hymn, How Great Thou Art, first penned by Carl Boberg and translated into English by Stuart K. Hine, but made famous by George Beverly Shea. Perhaps you have heard these words.
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy Hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow'r 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!
The second stanza continues the theme of seeing the majesty of God in creation.
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
I hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.
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!
But the God Who created us also redeemed us. Genesis chapter 3 records the terrible events of the fall of mankind. But Praise God that He did not leave us in our broken condition. No sooner had Adam and Eve sinned against God than He had set about redeeming His fallen creation.
And thus, the great hymn is not complete without the third and fourth stanzas.
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 shouts of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, "My God, how great Thou art!"
Amen!