I had a decision to make, which had haunted me for weeks. And then as I prayed and read my daily devotions one recent morning, there it was—the clear answer.
The
experience reminded me of verses I’d recently read in Lamentations, “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” (Lamentations 3:22-23). God
had been faithful to give an answer, maybe not in my time, but certainly in
his.
Thomas
Chisholm wrote a hymn from these verses in Lamentations called, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,”
while working as an insurance agent. I’m sure life had not gone as he’d
planned.
Born
in a Kentucky log cabin in 1866, and without a formal education, he still began
to teach school at sixteen. After becoming a Christian at twenty-seven, he
served as an editor for the Pentecostal Herald and went on to be ordained as a
Methodist minister—but only for a short time, as difficult health issues forced
him to stop. He spent the next forty-four years as a life insurance agent. In
that time, he penned over 1200 poems, which were published in various
publications, and several became hymn texts.
Of
“Great is Thy Faithfulness” he wrote near the end of his life, “My income has
not been large at any time due to impaired health in the earlier years which
has followed me on until now. Although I must not fail to record here the
unfailing faithfulness of a covenant-keeping God and that He has given me many
wonderful displays of His providing care, for which I am filled with
astonishing gratefulness.” Thomas Chisholm spent his last years in a Methodist senior
living home.
A
president of the Moody Bible Institute loved “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and it
became a favorite of students there, eventually spreading to churches all over
the world. It’s use by George Beverly Shea in the Billy Graham Crusades served
to introduce it an even greater audience and now, one can hardly pick up a
hymnal without finding, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” It often shows up in the
top ten of favorite Christian hymns.
I’m
so moved by these verses, this song, and its story. The words don’t come from
some dramatic experience. They’re written from daily walking with the Lord and
experiencing his constancy and faithfulness. We probably can't know the disappointment he experienced when he had to leave the ministry, but he allowed God to redeem the time by continuing to write for the Lord. In his lifetime, Thomas Chisolm
likely never knew the impact of his writing, but God knew and still uses the
words of this man with physical challenges
from humble beginnings to touch the world.
May
we all be inspired to remember and trust God’s faithfulness and be faithful
ourselves in what He has called us to do.
If you haven't read my latest book, A New Thing, I'd love for you to join my character Sophia in this small town romance as she faces new challenges and finds unexpected joy.
