The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.
– Lamentations 3:22-23
Music is central to my faith journey. Music has a way of drawing me into the presence of God. When I’m struggling with life, when my faith journey isn’t what I know it should or could be, the first two places I turn are to scripture and music. They have a way of grounding me in ways that are unexplainable. I have many favorite hymns; however, number one on my top ten list is Great Is Thy Faithfulness. Like scripture, I find that knowing the context, or the story behind the hymn helps me to better understand and appreciate the gift of music.
Thomas Obediah Chisholm, who sometimes described himself as “just an old shoe,” was born in a Kentucky log cabin in 1866. Chisholm’s heath was unstable throughout his life, and he alternated between bouts of illness and gainful employment. At the age of 36, a bishop in Kentucky gave him the opportunity to serve a church and he became a pastor but had to give it up only one year later due to poor health. Through all the ups and downs in his life, Thomas discovered new blessings from God every morning. The third chapter of Lamentations 3 became precious to him: It became his song, his melody, his story.
I served under the leadership of Bishop Robert Hayes as a cabinet member.
If you know Bishop Hayes, you know he can preach a hymn! Knowing that this was his favorite hymn, I asked him one day: “Why is this hymn one of your favorites?” With great passion and animation, he began to tell me the story behind the hymn and reminded me that the hymn was written using Lamentations 3.
He said, “Lamentations…a book of laments, a book about sorrow and loss, rejection and despair. And yet Thomas Chisholm, in spite of the difficulty of his life, found a way to focus on God’s goodness and faithfulness. Such a paradox.”
“This is a hymn of deep faith. One that had to grow out of trust and from a deep relationship to God. Chisholm didn’t just write a hymn, didn’t just put words on a piece of paper…didn’t just talk about God’s faithfulness, didn’t just believe in God’s faithfulness; He LIVED it!” In a very reflective voice Bishop said: “You know, everybody’s got a song, everybody’s got a melody, everybody’s got a story.”
I can say with a grateful heart that this is my song, my melody, my story. “All I have needed; His hand has provided.” As we enter the season of Lent, a season of reflection, and a time to fix our eyes and hearts on God’s great gift of love and grace, this hymn reminds me of God’s great faithfulness in the gift of Jesus.
Rev. Linda Harker, Online Campus Pastor
