Great is Thy Faithfulness
One of the 94 hymns we sing together at Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church on the Gold Coast. Browse the full hymnbook.
Lyrics
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.
Chorus
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!
Behind the Hymn
"Great Is Thy Faithfulness" was written by Thomas Obediah Chisholm in 1923, a Methodist minister from Franklin, Kentucky, who struggled with poor health throughout his life. Unlike many famous hymns born from dramatic moments of crisis, Chisholm said this hymn came from no particular experience — rather, it was simply a reflection on God's faithfulness morning by morning, inspired by Lamentations 3:22–23. He sent the poem to his friend William Runyan, who composed the melody and had it published by Hope Publishing Company. The hymn gained its wide popularity through Hale's adoption at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where it became the school's unofficial anthem. George Beverly Shea later featured it prominently in Billy Graham's crusades, bringing it to millions. Despite his frail health, Chisholm wrote over 1,200 poems during his lifetime, but this one remains his crowning legacy — a quiet testimony to ordinary, everyday faithfulness.