Great Is Thy Faithfulness

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.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness
by Thomas Chisholm
GenreHymn
Based onLamentations 3:23
Meter11.10.11.10 with refrain
Melody"Faithfulness" by William M. Runyan
Published1923 by Hope Publishing

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.[1] The Biblical lyrics reference Lamentations 3:22-23.[2] 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.[3] Since the middle 20th century, this hymn has been the university hymn of Cairn University.

In 2019, the song entered the public domain in the United States.[4]

References
  1. Steve Benner, Archived 2010-06-10 at the Wayback Machine (1999-2003) (accessed February 16, 2012)
  2. Lamentations 3:22–23
  3. Kenneth W. Osbeck, 101 hymn stories, (Kregel Publications, 1982) pg. 83
  4. McIntyre, Dean. Hymns, Public Domain, and Copyright. United Methodist Church Discipleship Ministries. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
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