What "How Great Is the Greatness of God" means
"How Great Is the Greatness of God" is a hymn of praise to the triune God. It celebrates the faithfulness of the Father, the saving work of the Son at Calvary and the gift of the Spirit, and calls the church to give thanks for that greatness on ordinary days and hard ones. Matt Boswell, Matt Papa and Bryan Fowler wrote it. This page covers the live recording credited to Boswell, Fowler, Papa and Sing!, released as a single on the Getty Music label in 2024.
The title can cause confusion. This is a different song from Chris Tomlin's "How Great Is Our God" and from the older hymn "How Great Thou Art," though it sits comfortably beside both. Churches that already sing Boswell and Papa's "His Mercy Is More" will recognize the same commitment to clear, singable doctrine.
Psalm 36:5 sets the scale: God's mercy reaches to the heavens and his faithfulness to the clouds. John 11:25-26 adds the hope at the center, Jesus as the resurrection and the life. The sections below look at how a hymn like this serves a congregation and how to teach it.
What this song does in a room
Hymn-loving churches often struggle to find new songs that feel at home beside the old ones. A congregation raised on "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" and "Holy, Holy, Holy" can be wary of anything written recently. This song gives those rooms something new with the doctrinal weight they expect from the old hymns, written for a congregation to sing together.
In contemporary rooms it does a different job. It slows a room down enough to think about who God is without draining the energy. Worshippers who have mostly sung about their own experience get a song that turns them outward, toward the Father, the Son and the Spirit.
The moment to watch for is when a congregation starts singing doctrine with joy. When that happens, people who think of theology as dry discover it can be sung at full voice.
What this song is saying about God
The song is Trinitarian praise. It names the faithfulness of the Father, the saving work of the Son at Calvary and the Spirit given to live in believers. That is the shape of the gospel itself. The Father sends, the Son redeems, and the Spirit applies that redemption and sustains the people who receive it. Singing all three in one song teaches a congregation to worship the God the Bible reveals.
It also ties God's greatness to ordinary life. Greatness can sound distant, as if God were too large to care. The song brings it close, since the faithfulness that holds the universe also meets a believer in daily work and in the hardest days. John 11 shows how. Jesus speaks the words of verses 25-26 to Martha at her brother's tomb, before he raises Lazarus. His greatness arrives in the middle of grief.
That makes the song suitable for both celebration and sorrow. The same truths that lift a room on a bright Sunday steady it at a funeral.
Scriptural backbone
Psalm 36:5 is the anchor: "Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds." Verse 7 follows with wonder: "How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God!" Psalm 145:3 states the theme of the title: "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable."
John 11:25-26 carries the hope: "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." 2 Corinthians 13:14 gives a Trinitarian blessing that pairs well with the song: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all." Lamentations 3:22-23 adds that God's compassions "are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."
How to use it in a service
It makes a strong opening hymn or call to worship, since it names who God is before the congregation asks anything of him. It fits Trinity Sunday naturally, and it serves well after a sermon on God's attributes or faithfulness.
Consider it for funerals and memorial services where John 11 is read. A congregation can sing it through tears, and the resurrection hope gives grieving families something solid.
Pair it with classic hymns of God's greatness on either side, or use it to end a service, followed by 2 Corinthians 13:14 as a benediction.
When you introduce it, plan three or four weeks in a row. Hymns earn their place through repetition, and a congregation needs a few Sundays before it sings the verses with confidence.
Things to watch for as the worship leader
Watch the arrangement. A hymn like this is built for congregational voices, and a busy band can bury them. If people stop singing, pull instruments out before you push volume up.
Watch the title in your planning. Because it resembles "How Great Is Our God," make sure your planning software, slides and licensing reports point to the right song.
Check the range. Sing it with a few untrained voices before you choose a key, and listen for whether the chorus sits comfortably for the whole room.
Watch the pace of the verses. Doctrinally rich words need a little time to land, and rushing them turns theology into syllables.
A note for the team behind you (techs, vocalists, band)
Keys players, consider leading from the piano with full, hymn-style voicings that a congregation can follow. Guitarists, an acoustic rhythm part is usually enough; add electric only for color. Drummers, try light time or brushes on the verses and a fuller pattern on later choruses, always staying under the congregation. If your church has organ or choir, consider bringing them in on the final verse.
Vocalists, sing the melody clearly in unison on the first verse so people can learn it, then add simple harmony. Techs, mix this one as a congregational hymn: vocals and piano forward, band supportive, and congregation mics up if you have them, so the room can hear itself sing.