Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Written by Julie Fickess

October 15, 2017

I grew up in Christian home.  Every Sunday we would sing the great hymns of the faith:  How Great Thou Art, When We All Get to Heaven, Amazing Grace, The Old Rugged Cross, Great Is Thy Faithfulness.  My mom played piano for our church so I would hear the hymns all week long as she practiced for Sunday.   As a kid I didn’t appreciate the songs too much, but now I know the treasure hidden in my heart singing these classics week after week.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Thomas Chisholm – 1925

Great Is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father!
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Though 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.

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!

Even though I grew up knowing all the words, I didn’t truly KNOW the song. Oh, I could sing it. Melody & harmony!  I even learned to play it on piano.  But I didn’t understand what it meant at all.  I would see senior saints belting out the song sometimes with a tear flowing down their cheek, but it just didn’t connect for me.

I didn’t recognize the faithfulness of God until I saw my need of it.  We can take for granted the character of God until we need it!  I recognize His forgiving nature when I sin and need forgiveness.  I see His mercy when I have blown it and don’t want what I deserve.  I receive His love when I am the most unlovely.

When our world falls apart, we need the faithfulness of God to hold us together.  When our life is chaos, we need His constant. When we fail, He remains faithful.  He does not change.  He is the sure, strong tower we can run into and be saved.

If we don’t run to Him, we will run to our fears.  Doubt and unbelief will flood our minds and hearts in those moments.  We can quickly spiral into despair and hopelessness.

Unless…..Unless we remember the faithfulness of our unchanging, never failing God.

You get to choose when your world falls apart:  Faith or Fear.  You get to choose when you don’t know how you will pay your bills:  Faith or Fear.  You get to choose when your loved one is lying in a hospital bed and you don’t know what to do:  Faith or Fear.  You get to choose when your husband walks out the door:  Faith or Fear.   You get to choose when your daughter is in rebellion or when your best friend rejects you:  Faith or Fear.

When you choose fear, you open yourself to the enemy of your soul.  We know “the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy.” You give yourself over to the one who seeks to destroy you – lie by lie.

When you choose faith, you open yourself up to the presence of God.  You place yourself in His might hands.  He guides, He leads, He counsels you. He comforts you.   Even when we don’t have faith of our own, we can trust that His faithfulness is big enough for the both of us!  He’s got us covered in His faithfulness.  He will give you faith to stand on His word – line by line.

Great is Your Faithfulness O God!

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