Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Somewhere along the southern edge of Kentucky, close to the Tennessee border, there is a town called Franklin. There, in July of 1866, Thomas Chisholm was born.

Thomas was not a strong man but he was sharp and bright. He taught school at the age of 16 and became a newspaper editor at 21. His passion was to be a minister.

In 1903 that dream came true, but it was short-lived. Lasting only about a year, he was forced to resign because of his health. He moved to Indiana to recover and, from there, he moved to New Jersey to become an insurance salesman. He retired from that work after 47 years.

At this point, you might be thinking, “Hey, preacher! When does this guy’s story get interesting? This is Friday Hymn Day and we want to know the story behind his song.”

Well, that’s not how Thomas Chisholm’s story goes. He’s not famous for writing about a heartbreaking tragedy, a shocking moment of revelation or an earth-shattering, life-changing event.

You see, Thomas went to work every day and sat at a desk selling insurance. He went home at the end of every day and had dinner with his family. He went to church on Sundays, attended his kids’ plays at school, mowed his lawn when it was needed, took his family on vacations once in a while and went back to work every Monday morning to start all over again. Such was Thomas’s life. But, God was always there with him and Thomas knew that that would never change.

When he had the time, Thomas wrote poems about God. I suppose it helped him to get through most of his days, but over time, he amassed quite a few of them... 1200 or so, in fact.

In 1923, he selected a few of his favorites and sent them off to William Runyan, a Moody Bible Institute musician. William sorted through them and found them to be quite enjoyable. Among them, he found a true gem. It was entitled, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” and it spoke of a God who never changes, who always cares and who provides for all of our needs. It was based upon Lamentations 3:22-23.

Runyan immediately recognized its value. He wrote, “This particular poem held such an appeal that I prayed most earnestly that my tune might carry its message in a worthy way.”

When it was completed, it became popular at Moody where it was sung in their chapel services. It soared in popularity when George Beverly Shea heard it and began to sing it at Billy Graham’s revivals. Today, it is a staple at tens of thousands of churches across the globe, teaching us all that God is not just the faithful God of the famous and spectacular, but of every worker, every clerk, every housewife, every teacher, every one of us, meek or bold, strong or weak. That will never change because He is always faithful.

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

1 - 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.

Refrain:

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!

2 - 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. [Refrain]

3 - Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside! [Refrain]