Religious or not, this performance by Carrie Underwood will move even the coldest of hearts. She is an American country singer, songwriter, producer, author, actress, and fashion designer. Carrie also does not shy away from proclaiming her faith.
She won the fourth season of American Idol and since then has sold 70 million records worldwide. There is no doubt about it. This woman can sing with the very best of them. Carrie is an animal lover, a vegan, and a practicing Christian.
Turn up the volume.
The song “How Great Thou Art” has quite a history. It is based on a Swedish traditional melody and poem written by Carl Boberg in 1885. There have been many translations with others adding a few lines here and there.
Testify, Carrie!
It is very much Christian at its core. The first verse goes,
“O 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”
Which Carrie sings along with the piano.
With Carrie is Vince Gill on guitar and backing vocals. He comes in after the first verse but Carrie has already exploded with an awesome vocal display of power, as if lifting her voice to heaven in praise. That’s probably what she’s doing anyway.
You can tell that singing songs of faith is extra special for her.
Carrie pours all her emotions into it. Her heart is open and she uses her God given talent to express her faith in her Creator. And whether she knows it or not, people are always moved by her expressions of faith. She in turn brings people closer to heaven.
There is stunned silence.
The audience looks on in awe at Carrie’s singing, enjoying every moment as she hits note for note from low to high without once missing a key. As she stops singing to let the band take over, her crowd applauds her singing but it’s an applause full of wonder and tears. Literally tears in their eyes.
Look at those faces.
Vince takes over with a lead guitar section playing verses two and three where the traditional hymn usually goes. Even the men are moved. It makes you want to shut the door, close your eyes, and just reflect and wonder about life. That’s the wonderful effect of Christian themed songs. It moves the heart and the spirit.
Carrie takes over once again.
She starts singing on another level,
“When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And lead me home, what joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow with humble adoration
And then proclaim, my God, how great Thou art”
At this point, the people have begun standing all the while still clapping with those looks of wonder on their faces. And Carrie? She’s not done. With every How great Thou art she belts out, she keeps raising the pitch, increasing the power of her voice along with her tone. She’s in full praise mode.
Now for the big finish.
Carrie goes full angelic mode. The band stops and it’s just her voice now carrying across the entire place. She raises her whole self to heaven with a powerful release of How great Thou art, extending a few syllables for added emphasis. She is out of this world fantastic! Go on and cry, viewers. Go on and press replay or repeat. Close your eyes while you’re at it.
Watch and listen in the video below! It’s okay to cry too!
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