Great Is Thy Faithfulness

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!

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,

Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

THOMAS OBADIAH CHISHOLM (1866–1960)

INSURANCE AGENT Thomas O. Chisholm certainly had his share of disappointments in life. His health had been fragile, forcing him to resign as a Methodist minister after only one year of service. But he enjoyed writing and submitted his poetry to various Christian magazines. Sometimes he got rejection slips, sometimes acceptances, but he seldom received any money. He earned his meager living selling life insurance.

When he was seventy-five, 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 faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.

Lamentations 3:22-25

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

From the book