Great Is Thy Faithfulness

The story of this hymn

Thomas Chisholm always insisted there was no dramatic story behind this hymn — no crisis, no deathbed. A Kentucky-born Methodist whose health failed after a single year of ministry, he spent his working life selling insurance, and in 1923 posted the poem, built on Lamentations 3:22–23, to William Runyan, who wrote the tune. George Beverly Shea sang it at Billy Graham's crusades, and by mid-century the world had adopted this hymn of ordinary, morning-by-morning mercy.

Where it sits in the service

Requested at funerals as often as almost any hymn in English. It sits naturally after the tributes, when thanksgiving needs to answer grief, though many families choose it to open the service. The text is still under copyright in some countries, so take the words from a hymnal and reproduce them under your church's copyright licence, printing the refrain after every verse.

In the programme, list it in the order of service as “Hymn — Great Is Thy Faithfulness” with the leader or choir named beside it.

How it is actually sung

A hymn of steady gratitude rather than of grief, and it suits a long life and a service that leads with thanksgiving. The refrain is widely known; the verses less so in some congregations. Three verses. It sits well after the tributes, where the service turns from remembering toward hope.

Printing the words

Still in copyright, hence the guide here rather than the words. Check with the church office about their CCLI licence before reprinting lyrics. Where it is not covered, the title and first line in the order is the normal solution.

This is practical guidance rather than legal advice. Reproduction rights vary by territory, by hymnal edition and by the licence your church holds — the church office is the right place to ask, and they answer this question often.