One of my favorite Christian hymns is Thomas O. Chishom’s, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” written in 1923 as a testimony to God’s blessings in his life.
Some hymns are born out of pain of the human condition. He was inspired by the words of hope the prophet Jeremiah’s spoke in Lamentations 3:22-23, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Chisholm celebrated God’s daily blessings in his life.
He wrote, “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.”
The hymn made its way to over 170 popular hymnals and is often sung at revivals. Popular singer Carrie Underwood recently recorded a version. The first verse of the hymn recalls Jeremiah’s words: “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.”
The second verse is my favorite: “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.”
While he mentions all the seasons, I have always identified this hymn with the beautiful season of Fall. We very blessed in our area to have the rain, sun and changing seasons. With the cooler weather comes the beautiful changing colors of God’s creation. While we are blessed, I know many areas in our nation are not as fortunate. God made us stewards of creation and we are not holding up our part in caring for our earth. We are paying a price, but future generations will suffer even greater.
When Noah departed from the ark, in gratitude to God he built an altar and offered a sacrifice pleasing to God. God made a promise to Noah and all humanity: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease: (Genesis 8:22). By caring for creation, we can join with God to honor God’s promise.
The third verse describes the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the joy of His presence in one’s life.
“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!”
The refrain of the hymn is a reminder of God’s never-changing faithfulness. “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!”
Eric Reece is the faith columnist for The Graham Star. He can be reached via email, ereece@wnccumc.net.