| Great Is Thy Faithfulness | |
|---|---|
| by Thomas Chisholm | |
| Genre | Hymn |
| Based on | Lamentations 3:23 |
| Meter | 11.10.11.10 with refrain |
| Melody | "Faithfulness" by William M. Runyan |
| Published | 1923 by Hope Publishing |
Great Is Thy Faithfulness is a popular Christian hymn written by Thomas Chisholm (1866–1960) with music composed by William M. Runyan (1870–1957) in Baldwin City, Kansas, U.S.
The phrase "great is thy faithfulness" comes from the Old Testament Book of Lamentations 3:23. These exact words occur in both the King James Bible and the Revised Standard Version.
History
Thomas O. Chisholm wrote the poem in 1923 about God's faithfulness over his lifetime. Chisholm sent the song to William Runyan in Kansas, who was affiliated with both the Moody Bible Institute and Hope Publishing Company. Runyan set the poem to music, and it was published that same year by Hope Publishing Company and became popular among church groups. The Biblical lyrics reference Lamentations 3:22-23. The song was exposed to wide audiences after becoming popular with Dr. William Henry Houghton of the Moody Bible Institute and Billy Graham, who used the song frequently on his international crusades. Since the middle 20th century, this hymn has been the university hymn of Cairn University in Pennsylvania.
In 2019, the song entered the public domain in the United States.
References
- Steve, Benner (c. 2000). "Great is thy faithfulness". oremus. Archived from the original on 2010-06-10. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
- Lamentations 3:22–23
- Kenneth, W. Osbeck (1982). Kenneth W. Osbeck, 101 hymn stories. Kregel Publications. p. 83.
- McIntyre, Dean (2007-07-26). "Hymns, Public Domain, and Copyright". Discipleship Ministries. Archived from the original on 2019-04-18. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
External links