Hymn Series Day 8
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Lamentations 3:22-23 says “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness”. God is the very essence of faithfulness. Thomas Chisholm wrote this as a poem in 1923 based around this scripture and inspired by his life where he really had experienced the faithfulness and the mercies of God. He became a Christian at 27 but struggled with poor health his entire life. He desperately wanted to become a minister, so at 36, he did. Although, due to his health, he was forced to retire after just one year. He took a desk job at an insurance agency, but outside work hours, Chisholm poured himself over the scriptures and inspired by Grace, wrote more than 1200 poems and Hymns.
He sent this poem to a friend, William Runyan, in Kansas, who put it to music. Runyan was connected to the DL Moody bible institute and would often send Chisholms work there. ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness' lay dormant as a hymn for a few years until a professor at the institute stumbled across it in the late 1920's and fell in love with it. Billy Graham heard the Hymn at the institute and years later during his crusades, thousands would worship God singing “All I have needed, thy hand hath provided” loudly and with great conviction.
Chisholm explained toward the end of his life, “My income has not been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which has followed me on until now. Although I must not fail to record here the unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has given me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness.” How great, in any circumstance, in any situation, under any form of oppression or hardship, is the faithfulness of God. Be blessed friends…
SHOP YOUR FAVOURITE POCKETFUEL DESIGNS!
You can read the lyrics to ‘Great Is Thy Faithfulness' below:
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee,
Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not,
As Thou hast been,Thou forever wilt be.
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above;
Join with all nature in manifold witness,
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own great presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.