Worship leader Matt Redman has collaborated with a number of Christian artists to release a remix of “How Great Thou Art” in light of the hymn's 75h anniversary.
In a recent interview with CBN News, Redman shared that he has partnered with multiple Christian artists for the remix, including Chris Tomlin, Hillary Scott, Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes, Naomi Raine, Blessing Offor, Jon Reddick, TAYA, Brian and Jenn Johnson, Matt Maher, Pat Barrett, Benjamin William Hastings, Ryan Ellis, and Mitch Wong.
“You go around churches, different streams, and expressions of church — you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t find some kind of connection to this hymn,” Redman said, noting that the hymn grew in popularity when it was played during Billy Graham’s evangelistic crusades.
The “10,000 reasons” singer explained why he believes “How Great Thou Art” is so timeless and popular, Faithwire reports.
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“I think it might be because it has this beautiful story, starts with creation, gets the cross, but we get our chance to say what we think about those things,” Redman said. “I think some of the best hymns, they’re like a classroom and a chapel — they… educate us, inspire us, bring something to mind. and then they give us a chance to respond to that, say what we think about that.”
He also shared that unlike a majority of classic hymns, “How Great Thou Art” remains under copyright. However, the copyright holder actually approached Redman and asked if there was a way to celebrate the hymn’s 75th anniversary.
Redman told CBN News that the english version of “How Great Thou Art” was written by British missionary Stuart Hine while in Ukraine. He added that it was an “especially poignant time to have… a new version” since the proceeds will go to Ukraine and humanitarian causes in Eastern Europe.
The 2024 version of “How Great Thou Art” also includes a brand new section Redman hopes will inspire Christians walking in a “broken, warring world.”
“It was wonderful seeing it come to life,” he said of the song.
Image credit: David Beale/Unsplash
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
