When I hear the voice of thunder in the storm roaringĪnd the blades of lightning run out of the sky, Och blixtens klingor springa fram ur skyn, There golden world ships plow the ether blue,Īnd sun and moon measure the moments of time When I consider the high wonders of heaven, How your wisdom guides the threads of life,Īnd all beings are saturated at your table: The Swedish version that appeared in this edition was:Īs you have created with your word of omnipotence, In 1914, the Swedish Evangelical Mission Covenant of America published four verses of O store Gud! in their hymnal, De Ungas Sångbok: utgiven för Söndagsskolan Ungdomsmötet och hemmet. In 1894 the Svenska Missionsförbundet sångbok published "O Store Gud" in 4/4 time as it has been sung ever since). In 1891 all nine verses were published in the 1891 Covenant songbook, Sanningsvittnet. īoberg later sold the rights to the Svenska Missionsförbundet ( Mission Covenant Church of Sweden). Instrumentation for both piano and guitar was provided by Adolph Edgren (born 1858 died 1921 in Washington, D.C.), a music teacher and organist, who later migrated to the United States. The words and music were published for the first time in the 16 April 1891 edition of Sanningsvittnet. In 1890 Boberg became the editor of Sanningsvittnet (The Witness for the Truth).
Eight verses appeared with the music in the 1890 Sions Harpan. The poem became matched to an old Swedish folk tune and sung in public for the first-known occasion in a church in the Swedish province of Värmland in 1888. Publication and music īoberg first published "O Store Gud" in the Mönsterås Tidningen (Mönsterås News) on 13 March 1886. That evening, I wrote the song, "O Store Gud". There evidently had been a funeral and the bells were playing the tune of "When eternity's clock calls my saved soul to its Sabbath rest". When I came home I opened my window toward the sea. But the storm was soon over and the clear sky appeared. It was very warm a thunderstorm appeared on the horizon and soon there was thunder and lightning. It was that time of year when everything seemed to be in its richest colouring the birds were singing in trees and everywhere. Īccording to Boberg's great-nephew, Bud Boberg, "My dad's story of its origin was that it was a paraphrase of Psalm 8 and was used in the 'underground church' in Sweden in the late 1800s when the Baptists and Mission Friends were persecuted." The author, Carl Boberg himself gave the following information about the inspiration behind his poem:
It was this series of sights, sounds, and experiences that inspired the writing of the song. When Boberg arrived home, he opened the window and saw the bay of Mönsterås like a mirror before him… From the woods on the other side of the bay, he heard the song of a thrush… the church bells were tolling in the quiet evening. In a little while the storm was over, and a rainbow appeared. Strong winds swept over the meadows and billowing fields of grain. Presently a thundercloud appeared on the horizon, and soon lightning flashed across the sky. Irving Erickson:Ĭarl Boberg and some friends were returning home to Mönsterås from Kronobäck, where they had participated in an afternoon service. A sudden storm got Boberg’s attention, and then just as suddenly as it had made its appearance, it subsided to a peaceful calm which Boberg observed over Mönsterås Bay. The inspiration for the poem came when Boberg was walking home from church near Kronobäck, Sweden, and listening to church bells. 2.3.1 Billy Graham Evangelistic Crusadesīoberg wrote the poem "O Store Gud" (O Great God) in 1885 with nine verses.