Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Words: Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923 · Tune: William M. Runyan, 1923 · Public domain (as of Jan. 1, 2019)
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Verse 1
FGreat is Faugthy Bbfaithfulness, C7O God my BbFa-Fther;
Bbthere is no Fshad-C7ow Fof Gturn-D7ing G7with Cthee;
Cthou changest Fnot, thy compas-Gmsions Fthey Bbfail not;
Bdim7as thou hast Fbeen, thou forev-Amer Cwilt Fbe.
Refrain (after every verse)
CGreat is thy Bbfaith-Ffulness! D7Great is thy Cmfaith-Gmfulness!
C7Morning by Fmorning Fm6new Cmer-G7cies I Csee;
C7all I have Fneeded thy hand Gmhath Fpro-Bbvided;
Bdim7great is thy Ffaithfulness, Lord, C7unto Fme!
Verse 2
FSummer Faugand Bbwinter, and C7springtime and Bbhar-Fvest,
Bbsun, moon, and Fstars C7in Ftheir Gcours-D7es G7a-Cbove
Cjoin with all Fnature in man-Gmi-Ffold Bbwitness
Bdim7to thy great Ffaithfulness, mer-Amcy, Cand Flove.
Verse 3
FPardon Faugfor Bbsin and a C7peace that en-Bbdur-Feth,
Bbthine own dear Fpres-C7ence Fto Gcheer D7and G7to Cguide;
Cstrength for to-Fday and bright hope Gmfor Fto-Bbmorrow,
Bdim7blessings all Fmine, with ten thou-Amsand Cbe-Fside!
Chords in the key of F
- F
- Faug
- Bb
- C7
- G
- D7
- G7
- C
- Gm
- Bdim7
- Am
- Cm
- Fm6
About this hymn
- Words
- Thomas Obadiah Chisholm, 1923
- Music
- FAITHFULNESS, William Marion Runyan, 1923
- Meter
- 11.10.11.10 with refrain
- In
- 252 hymnals
- Scripture
- Lamentations 3:19-33, James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8
The story
Thomas Chisholm wrote the poem and mailed it to William Runyan. Runyan set it to music in Baldwin City, Kansas, in 1923, and he said he prayed his tune would do the words justice. Hope Publishing put it out the same year. The text leans on Lamentations 3, the mercies that are new every morning. It did not spread on its own. Dr. William Henry Houghton of Moody Bible Institute took it up, then Billy Graham used it on crusades with George Beverly Shea singing it, and that carried it around the world. In the United States the 1923 words and tune are public domain. Newer arrangements may still be under copyright.
CeCe Winans sang it as a duet with Carrie Underwood on Underwood's 2021 gospel album.
Where it fits in a service
Often used at a morning opening, a watch night or new year service, an anniversary, and a homegoing. It also sits well before the sermon when the theme is God's steadiness.
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Take it further
This hymn in three keys, and 49 more
The 50 Hymns for the Church Pianist collection has this hymn in three keys with every verse, a Sunday Version with gospel moves, and big keyboard pictures. Large print and regular print.
See the collection →All 21 in one printed book
The Hymn & Carol Chord Chart Book puts 21 hymns and carols on paper, chords over the words, with a lead sheet and the story behind each one. Full-size pages for the music stand.
See it on Amazon →Print this hymn
The same chart as a clean one-page PDF — with large-print lyrics, a guitar chart and a Nashville number chart of the same hymn.
See the printable set →Why these chords work
Gospel Piano Chords by Ear is the book behind these charts — how to hear the I, IV and V, and how to move between them without reading music.
About the book →Learn it with Henry
Online lessons, by ear, from the author of the book — a camera on the keys and this hymn ready for Sunday.
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