By Eileen Macomber
The composer of this hymn was a Russian native by the name of Alexis F. Lvov, a will-known musician, taught by his father, Feordor Lvove.
After accompanying Emperor (Czar) Nicholas I to Russia and Austria, he was informed though his father that the Czar wished that the Russians had their own anthem, and that the Czar had assigned Alexis to write it. (They had been using England’s.)
He did not know how he could do it. He needed something that could be sung in churched as well as on the battlefield, liked by peasants as well as by the pompous, etc.
He contemplated much about it, and was almost to the point of giving up, when one evening he began to hum a tune, and in reflection said, “It was unbelievable, an hour ago my mind was a perfect blank, and suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, this tune came crowning in, and lo here it is, actually down on manuscript paper.”
He then asked a poet, Henry F. Chorley, for words to fit the tune, but the poet wanted him to change the meter instead. Mr. Lvov said, “No, This is the way it came to me and this is the way it is going to stand.”
A few days later, in 1833, the news that the hymn was ready reached the Emperor. Mr. Lvov gathered two orchestras and a trained choir to sing before the king. The Lord blessed and the king requested it to be sung over and over, never tiring of it. Next it was presented to the people, again meeting with great success.
Mr. Lvov had no idea it would be translated in to other languages and used across the world!
Obviously, an omnipotent God was in control!
God the Omnipotent! King, who ordainest
Thunder Thy Clarion, the lightening Thy sword;
Show forth Thy pity on high where thou reignest:
Give to us peace in our time, or Lord.
Sources:
Lost
