Great is Thy Faithfulness

Verse 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 will 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!

Verse 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.

Verse 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!

*************************************************

Above are the words to the very famous old time song/hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness. The main Scripture verse referenced in this hymn comes from Lamentations 3: 22-23:

22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

What is the history behind this hymn? I searched online a bit and it is quite interesting. Thomas O. Chisholm accepted Christ as personal Savior aged 27, during a revival meeting conducted in his hometown by Dr. H. C. Morrison. He later trained and was ordained as a Methodist minister but had to pull out after one year due to failing health. He spend his remaining part of his life as a life insurance agent. But what was interesting is what he wrote in a letter in 1941 (he was 75 at this time):

“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.”

It is easy to say to God nowadays “Great is Your faithfulness” when everything is going all right with you. But when hardship or trouble comes, can you say with the same confidence and gusto as before, “Great is Your faithfulness”? I can tell you it is hard; very hard. Things are not working out right, things that are still around are falling around you, or maybe just simply fearful of the future. Can we lift up our hands and confidently proclaim God’s faithfulness?

Note the reference from where the Scripture is taken. It is from Lamentations, not Psalms or Songs of Solomon. The whole book is what its name is; a book of laments. The Israelites fell to their enemies and Israel was conquered. The people are suffering and dying. The glorious temple is no more, razed to the ground by the conquering Babylonians/Chaldeans. The Israelites are being taken away from their homeland. In the midst of the laments, Jeremiah can still proclaim God’s faithfulness. This is backed up by the history behind the song stated above.

So, take heart when hardships come your way. For here is what is said in a few verses down (Lamentations 3: 31-33) :

31 For men are not cast off

by the Lord forever.

32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,

so great is his unfailing love.

33 For he does not willingly bring affliction

or grief to the children of men.

On the other side of the coin, how would we know God’s faithfulness unless we ourselves go through the fires of testing? It is easy to say God is faithful when everything is smooth going. But to what extent does one believe that? To experience the full extent of God’s faithfulness is to be tested in this area.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Ian