SONG STUDY (7) GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS
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| 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
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:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAMa2HGGI60 Songs of Praise
Maranatha! Music
https://johnsbluemountainsblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/links-to-all-blog-entries-and-relevant.html All Blue Mountains blogs and videos
All New England and other Geology blogs and videos
Limestone Caves of NSW
Song Studies. Bible studies based on hymns and songs
Shoalhaven District Geology.
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