March 24, 2018
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.
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!
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)
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)
Text: Thomas O. Chisolm, 1866-1960 @ 1923 (ren. 1951 Hope Publishing Company
I grew up singing “Great is Thy Faithfulness” in church, but I was more enamored with the notes and the melody than the words. That changed when I was well into adulthood.
I was recently divorced, raising two teenagers by myself, and on many days had only pennies to my name. I had a good job, but my salary rarely stretched as far as it needed to. I tried to hold onto the belief that if I was grateful for what I had, I would always have enough. It was difficult, however, not to be consumed with worry. One day while I was looking at part-time jobs to supplement my income, I got a call from an old friend asking if I would be willing to be the pianist for her church. I immediately said yes.
The opening hymn for the first service I played was “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” I remember hearing the congregation singing, and the words hit me as if I had just heard them for the first time. “All I have needed, thy hand hath provided; great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me. . . strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.”
It was absolutely true. Each day I was somehow finding strength to get through, and that strength was absolutely provided through God’s faithfulness to my needs. Being able to supplement my income by doing something that I loved was much more than I could ever have asked for. I played for that church until it had to close its doors, and to this day I will forever remember my time there as a tangible sign of God’s faithfulness to my needs.
Although I am now at a different stage of my life with fewer struggles, I still believe that my every need will be perfectly met. And, each morning, I offer this silent prayer of thanksgiving:
“Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, morning by morning, new mercies I see. All I have needed, thy hand hath provided; great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!”
Allison Keith
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