Mark Sorensen If he were alive today, he would tell you that his life was really quite “ordinary.”
Thomas Chisholm was born in Kentucky in 1866. At the age of 16 he became a school teacher and, upon attending a church revival at the age of 27, gave his life to Christ.
He would become a Methodist minister almost 10 years later serving a local congregation but, due to poor health, he would retire after serving in ministry for only one year. Though his health waned, his love for the Lord and his faithfulness to God’s call on his life grew stronger. Before his death in 1960, Chisholm had written nearly 1,200 poems on God’s goodness and grace, as well as writing and publishing many hymns.
Chisholm would share toward the later years of his life that he never knew great wealth. In fact, his health prevented him from ever achieving financial security. Yet, he could not deny the “unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God who has given to me many wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with astonishing gratefulness.”
One of his favorite (and most recognized) hymns published contained the following words:
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father!
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changes not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever will 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.
No doubt the laments of Jeremiah inspired Thomas. I love the words we read from Lamentations 3:22-23 last Sunday.
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!”
So the good news for us all today? Wherever we stand, we can take great comfort in knowing that God is faithful and His faithfulness is a strong, firm foundation that never fails.
