Isaiah 40:21-31Romans 5:6-11 and Matthew 24:36-44

A Scriptural MeditationOn An Often-used Funeral Hymn

The depth and power of some of the great Christian hymns amazes me. I must have heard Stuart Hine's translation of Carl Boberg's "How Great Thou Art" sung at least 500 times, but still it moves me.

It's not just that "How Great Thou Art" acknowledges the power of God. It does even more. It contains the message of the gospel.

It talks about God the creator in the same way the psalmists or the prophets would. "The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth," Isaiah says. "He does not faint or grow weary ..."

As we come to say good-bye to ** today, that is the God in whom we put our faith. "He gives power to the faint," Isaiah says, "and to him who has no might he increases…