Check out this beautiful performance from The Petersens of the song ‘How Great Thou Art.’ Their bluegrass rendition is absolutely wonderful, and the harmonies sound lovely. This talented family band is sure to bring a smile to your face and encourage your soul!

‘Oh Lord, my God, when I, in awesome wonder, 
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, 
Thy power throughout the universe displayed’

The Petersens are a family band that performs full-time in Branson, Missouri. They celebrate American roots music with a focus on family values. The band consists of four siblings —Katie, Ellen, Matt, and Julianne —and their mom, Karen, as well as good friend Emmett Franz.

When filming this music video, the family chose the chapel at College of the Ozarks as the setting. This is where Katie, Ellen, and Matt went to college. 

“One of my favorite hymns sung by my favorite vocalist. Well done Petersens,” comments one person on YouTube after watching the music video.

“It's not just the excellent performance, it's the anointing by the Holy Spirit. And I felt it,” writes another person online.

As for the background of ‘How Great Thou Art,’ the hymn started in Sweden in 1886, and it is fascinating to hear how the song made its way to the United States. Author and editor Carl Boberg originally wrote ‘How Great Thou Art’ as a poem. Later, those words were set to a Swedish folk tune. Then, in 1907, Manfred von Glehn translated it into German, and five years later, a Russian pastor named Ivan Prokhanoff created a Russian adaptation.

Then, in the early 1920s, Rev. and Mrs. Stuart Hine left their home in England and went to Poland as missionaries. That’s when they heard the Russian adaptation of ‘How Great Thou Art.’ Reverend Hine decided to write the English lyrics and make his own arrangement of the Swedish melody. After going through many iterations, we have the beloved ‘How Great Thou Art’ hymn that we know today. 

We hope you enjoyed listening to this version of ‘How Great Thou Art’ from The Petersens today!