Latter-day Dittys and Doodles

•HOW•GREAT•THOU•ART•

Elder Trevor Larsen

The experience of arranging this song was nothing short of inspirational and symbolic with myself. I had been out on my mission for the Church about 9 months and had many difficult times. Trail after trail and temptation after temptation seemed to be crashing against me during this point in my life. I felt a lone, tired and homesick. There really wasn't much that I felt I could do but lean upon what I knew was true.

Prayer stretched in length as I pleaded with my God to help me. Among my frustration and criticism toward myself I finally received a ray of hope. A local Christmas festival was coming up on the calendar and they needed local musicians. Reflecting on my past with music and the gifts that my Heavenly Father had given me I set out to create something that would lift those around me and hopefully spread the spirit of Christ.

After borrowing a guitar from a local member and feeling swayed by an impression about the song I decided to create an arrangement of the famous church hymn "How Great Thou Art." I took time during lunches and after nightly planning to throw what I could together. The whole time I felt support and my talents being consecrated by the Lord.

Soon my two weeks of writing and practicing were up and I was to perform it for the local concert in Greece, NY. During my final practices the lyrics of the song began to pierce my soul.

"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."

-3rd verse

All of a sudden all the trials and weakness that I had seen as so obvious in myself seemed to become minuscule when compared to all the Savior Jesus Christ did for me. He literally took away my sins and knew what I specifically was going through.

With renewed hope I performed the song at the festival and felt the grace of my Lord uplift me as I exercised my months out of practice vocal chords and aching fingers. Upon singing the the last verse I felt completely resolute, imagining myself standing before the Lord and proclaiming,"My God, how great thou art!"