"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.
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!
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Though changest not,
Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever 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, 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.
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!
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
The beauty of nature witnesses to my soul about the glory and goodness of God. That's why I include so many nature photos on my blog. Experiencing God as the Grand Creator helps take the edge off of some of the negative perceptions about his character that I had acquired along the way. God is life and love, not rules and regulations.
"Strength
for today and bright hope for tomorrow" is exactly what I need right now.
Say a prayer for me, will you? And let me know how I can be
praying for you, too. That would be my privilege.
And
now, since some of you said you like my personal "life" notes
on the hymns...
When I turned 50 earlier
this month, my children and some of our friends and relatives compiled a
beautiful photo album / scrap book for me with paragraphs of things they
remembered about me. My daughter Joanna sent in her entry
from Australia, where she is a student this semester at the University of
Canberra, and where she took the sunset photo above. She wrote:
1. I appreciate the
creativity you put into teaching us in elementary school. I will
always remember when we wrapped up in sheet togas and crawled through the
catacombs we constructed in the dining room, complete with dripping water sound
effects and candles. You
always wanted us to learn with our senses.
2. One of my first memories
ever is hearing you sing "Great is Thy Faithfulness" as I fell
asleep, and I still hear you singing it. It always "brings me
back" and makes me grateful to your faithfulness to us.
3. Over the
past few years, you have modeled to me how to think critically and how to speak
up graciously against injustice. You have helped shape my plans to become
a counselor. As you have found your voice, I have as well."
I am
so touched by her words.
That
first one -- the catacombs and bed sheets one -- was when we were learning
about the early Christian martyrs who were persecuted and killed for their
faith in the Roman empire. I wanted my children to remember that even though
God is faithful and just and compassionate, that life will not always be
sunshine and roses for this children. He brings us through trials --
often severe ones -- to fulfill his greater purposes not only in our own lives
but also in human history. Our challenge is to keep trusting.
The
second one -- hymn singing is something we did a lot more in the earlier years
of child raising and home schooling, especially at bedtime for lullabyes and during a morning
worship and Scripture reading. It is something we need to revive somehow.
It's too easy to wander in what music we choose. I don't mind my
kids (who are now mostly teens and adults) listening to decent
secular pop and country music, but shouldn't they also be listening songs which
are inherently more wholesome and faith-building? I notice difference
that in my own life. Maybe that's why I started the "Strength inHymn" series?
And
the third -- learning to think and speak up -- is borne from the fires and
trials of life. Finding my voice meant getting past the pious passivity
that often afflicts Christian women who believe they should be seen but not
heard. What my daughter is talking about is what's on this blog: posts on abuse of authority / legalism, gender roles, and more. Joanna knows that if
time and money were no object for me, I'd go back and get a master's degree in
counseling to help others work through these issues. But that's not an
option at this point, so I guess I'll experience that vicariously through her and just keep writing
my own little blog posts as my contribution to
humanity. Fortunately, I do have a new teaching job that I love, and
that is a story of God's faithfulness right there! I thank God for
showing that care just when I needed it most, in the midst of a
dark season of stress and loss and need. That's a story for another day.
Blessings,
Virginia
Knowles
P.S. I took the rainbow picture at the top of the post yesterday evening. One of my teenage sons was leaving for a concert with his older sister, but took the time to call and tell me to get outside and see the rainbow! Bless his heart! The rainbow has always been a symbol of God's faithfulness.
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