Great Is Thy Faithfulness Lyrics: Full Text, Story & Chords

What is the story behind the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness?

Thomas O. Chisholm was born near Franklin, Kentucky in 1866 and worked as a school teacher, insurance agent, newspaper editor, and Methodist minister before writing a single hymn that would outlast every career he ever had. He wrote over 1,200 poems and hymns in his lifetime, but Great Is Thy Faithfulness became the one that churches still sing a century later.

The hymn reflects God’s faithfulness through Chisholm’s own difficult paths. He once wrote: “Having been led, for a part of my life, through some difficult paths, I have sought to gather from such experiences material out of which to write hymns of comfort and cheer for those similarly circumstanced.” That context matters — this wasn’t written from a place of ease, but from someone who had seen hard days and still found reasons to trust.

Thomas Chisholm background

• Born 1866 near Franklin, Kentucky; died 1960
• Worked on a farm, taught school, sold insurance, edited a newspaper, and served as a Methodist minister
• Lacked formal theological training but wrote over 1,200 poems and hymns
• Composed Great Is Thy Faithfulness at age 57 in 1923

Inspiration from daily life

Chisholm drew inspiration from the rhythms of ordinary days — morning mercies, God’sunchanging nature, pardon for sin, and strength for today. The hymn captures a theology that sees God’s faithfulness not in rare miracles but in the quiet repetition of grace. “Great is thy faithfulness” wasn’t meant to be a climactic declaration but a daily observation.

The implication is that hymns rooted in lived experience tend to outlast those written from theological abstraction — Chisholm’s willingness to mine his own hardship for comfort gave the lyrics an authenticity that still resonates.

What Bible verse is Great Is Thy Faithfulness based on?

The hymn draws directly from Lamentations 3:22-23, where the prophet Jeremiah writes: “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” The phrase “great is thy faithfulness” comes from verse 23 in that passage, though the hymn expands the concept into a full meditation on God’s reliability across seasons of life.

Lamentations 3:22-23 text

“Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Connection to lyrics

The hymn’s first line — “Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father” — echoes Jeremiah directly. The phrase “morning by morning new mercies I see” takes Lamentations’ “new every morning” and makes it experiential. Each verse unpacks a different facet of God’s reliability: creation speaks it, pardon comes through it, strength flows from it, and comfort comes through it.

The pattern shows how Chisholm transformed a prophetic declaration into personal devotion — the shift from “your faithfulness” (Jeremiah’s observation) to “thy faithfulness” (the singer’s address) makes the biblical text participatory rather than merely historical.

Is Great Is Thy Faithfulness a funeral hymn?

Great Is Thy Faithfulness has become a standard choice at funerals in English-speaking churches, particularly in the United States. The hymn’s themes of comfort, hope, and God’s steadfast love resonate with mourners seeking assurance that God’s faithfulness continues beyond loss. It appears in the funeral music selections of many funeral planning services and is frequently included in memorial services.

Use in funerals

• Selected for comfort and hope themes
• Appears in funeral music guides from multiple planning services
• Often paired with scripture readings from Romans 8 or 1 Corinthians 15
• Used in both traditional and contemporary memorial services

Popularity ranking

The hymn ranks among commonly chosen funeral hymns alongside others like “It Is Well With My Soul,” “In the Garden,” and “Amazing Grace.” Its endurance across a hundred years suggests it addresses universal human experiences — loss, hope, trust in something beyond the visible — that funerals inevitably surface.

What this means is that longevity itself becomes a signal of relevance — a hymn that stays chosen at funerals across generations has proven its capacity to meet people in their most vulnerable moments.

What are the full Great Is Thy Faithfulness lyrics?

The standard lyrics consist of three verses and a repeating chorus, all in the public domain. The hymn follows an 11.10.11.10 meter with a refrain, structured to build from declaration to petition and back to declaration.

Verse 1

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 wilt be.

Chorus

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!

Verse 2

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.

Verse 3

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

The hymn moves from cosmic witness (sun, moon, stars) to personal experience (morning mercies, pardon, strength) and concludes with a sweeping claim of blessing. Each verse layers theological affirmation onto the refrain, making the chorus increasingly weighty as the hymn progresses.

The catch is that this apparent simplicity masks careful theological architecture — each verse expands what the refrain claims, so singing the chorus repeatedly after verse 3 lands differently than after verse 1.

Great is Thy faithfulness lyrics and chords

The hymn works well on guitar or piano in several keys. Church musicians typically choose keys based on the congregation’s range and the instrumentation available. The public domain status means no licensing fees apply for traditional arrangements.

Standard chords in key of G

The most common guitar arrangement uses G, C, D7, and Em chords. The progression follows a verse-chorus-verse structure with a simple harmonic pattern that congregations can pick up quickly.

• G — Great is thy C faithfulness, O G God my D7 Father
• Em — There is no C shadow of G turning D7 with Thee

Covlife.org guitar chord sheet provides the G-key arrangement with full lyrics and chord markings.

Key of C variation

The key of C offers easier playability for piano-based accompaniment, using C, F, and G7 chords. Restoration Arlington piano arrangement provides this version, which many small churches prefer for its simplicity.

Key of D alternative

The key of D uses D, G, and A7 chords for a slightly brighter sound. Name That Hymn chord library documents this version alongside full lyrics and additional resources.

Modern worship versions

Contemporary arrangements exist through services like Reawaken Hymns worship resources, which holds CCLI license #7197422 for church use. Ultimate Guitar praise chord chart provides praise song version chords in C for contemporary worship bands.

Related reading: Hark the Herald Angels Sing Lyrics: History & Meaning

Great Is Thy Faithfulness shares its scriptural depth and timeless appeal with How Great Thou Art history, tracing a Swedish poem’s evolution into global worship.

Frequently asked questions