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SONG STUDY 7: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS


SONG STUDY (7) GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

Thomas O Chisholm
This hymn was written in the early twentieth century with words by T.O. Chisholm and music by W.M. Runyan. The major passage of Scripture which the author had in mind is Lamentations 3: 19 - 33, where the writer (Jeremiah?) is working through the anguish of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the loss of all that he held dear.

 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 for ever wilt be.

              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, spring-time 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
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;    
            Strength for to-day and bright hope for                      tomorrow,
            Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Words you might not fully understand: faithfulness, compassions, mercies, courses, manifold, witness, pardon, endureth, blessings, beside.

Verse 1
(a) “Shadow of turning”. See James 1:17, which is the origin of the words (in the KJV) but see also Psalm 102:25-27 and Malachi 3:6. The idea is that God can be relied upon; he never turns his face away from us and lets us survive on our own (even though we may sometimes feel that he has).
(b) “As Thou hast been ...” expresses the same thoughts; see also Revelation 4:8.
Why is it that we feel that God doesn’t care about us sometimes and what is the remedy?
Chorus
(a) “All I have needed” speaks of God’s ongoing provision for His people. See Philippians 4:19, Psalm 23:1 and 2 Corinthians 9:8
Verse 2
(a) The writer evidently has a number of OT passages in mind here. Genesis 8: 22 could be what he was thinking of for “summer and winter ...”
(b) For “Sun, moon and stars ...” there are a number of references from the Psalms e.g. 8:3-4; 19:1-4; 148:1-6.
(c)  What are some of the ways in which nature points to the faithfulness of God?  See also Romans 1:18-23.
Verse 3
(a) This verse speaks about the benefits of being God’s people. See Psalm 103:1-5 for another list and as you read these thank Him for everything he has done and is doing for you.
(b) “Pardon for sin”. See Acts 2:37-39.
(c) “Peace that endureth” See Philippians 4:4-7 and John 14:27.
(d) “Thine own dear presence” See John 14:16-17, 25-26 and 16:12-15; also Romans 8:26-27.
(e) “Strength for today”. See Ephesians 1:18-19 and 3:14-16; 2 Corinthians 12:9.
(f) “Bright hope for tomorrow”. See Romans 15:4; Titus 2:11-14 and Hebrews 11:1.
(g) “Blessings all mine ...”. See Ephesians 1:3 and Psalm 32:1-2.

Videos to watch:
Maranatha! Music
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