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Great Is Thy Faithfulness ~ Hymn 39

By: Alan Harvey

Posted: April 7, 2020

Category: Daily Devotional

Devotional Thoughts Based on the Glory to God Hymnal

Lamentations 3:22-23

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Several hymns featured in this devotional series have alluded to scriptures and in this case the hymn quotes scripture: Lamentations 3:23, “Great is your faithfulness.” This hymn has had something of a checkered history of being included in Presbyterian hymnbooks. The hymn was not included in The Hymnal published by the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America in 1933 although it had been written by Thomas O. Chisholm with music specially composed by William Marion Runyan ten years earlier. It also was not included in The Hymnbook of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, published in 1950.

Its first appearance was in The Presbyterian Hymnal published in 1990, following the reunion of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America and the Presbyterian Church in the United States, which had formed the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. It was a welcome addition to the new hymnbook and it became quite popular. The next hymnbook, Glory to God also included “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” I am so glad it was included because it is on my personal list of Top Ten Hymns.

This hymn speaks of God’s steadfast love and God’s never-failing mercies. Truly we are blessed, as these verses show with “pardon for sin, peace that endureth, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.”

Prayer

Dear God, we thank You for all the gifts … blessings You shower upon us. We thank You for hymns such as this one that remind us of Your great love and Your ceaseless mercies. “All we have needed Your hand has provided, great is Your faithfulness, Lord, unto [us].” In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.