"Great Is Thy Faithfulness"  was written by Thomas Obadiah Chisholm, who was born in Franklin, KY in 1866.  He attended a small country school, and became its teacher at the age of 16.   By the time he was 21, he was working as the editor of the local weekly newspaper.  He became an ordained Methodist minister at the age of 27, and served a pastorate in Scottsville, KY.  However, poor health soon forced him to give up that job.  Chisholm enjoyed writing poetry, and wrote well over 1200 poems during his lifetime.  

Chisholm often would include some of his poems in letters he wrote to a good friend of his named William Runyan, who he had met while in seminary.  Runyan was working as an arranger for the Hope Publishing Company at the time.  One of Chisholm's poems was based on one of Chisholm's favorite scriptures from the book of Lamentations - " It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness.” .  Runyan was so moved by that particular poem that he decided to compose a musical score to accompany it, which was first published in 1913 under the title "Great Is Thy Faithfulness".

The hymn got very little recognition for a number of years, until it was discovered by Dr. William Houghton, a professor at the Moody Bible Institute.   It became his favorite, and he requested it be sung so often that it soon became the unofficial theme song of the college.   It's popularity increased exponentially in the 1940's when George Beverly Shea, who had been a student at the Moody Bible Institute, started singing it regularly as part of the Billy Graham evangelistic crusades, and it was heard by millions all around the world.

Enjoy!

--Tull

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain

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!
 

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.


Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!