Listening to the lyrics of the old hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” is one of my earliest memories of being in church. I remember standing next to my grandmother on a Sunday morning listening to her loudly sing out these words in a small church in Niagara Falls, NY.
Great is Thy faithfulness
“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.
I can still hear her singing in my memory even as I think of her today in heaven with Jesus.
Thomas Chrisholm was 27 years old when he wrote this great hymn. He was an American songwriter whose inspiration came from his favorite passage of Scripture: “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)
As a young child still exploring what it meant to be a follower of Jesus, those words meant very little to me as I heard them sung many Sunday mornings. However, much has changed over the past 40 years. I have come to appreciate the personal implications of this profound truth found in Scripture. I realize now that faithfulness takes time to demonstrate. It is only through the fulfillment of God’s promises in my life that I can now testify to God’s great faithfulness.
Faithful (adj): steadfast in affection and allegiance; loyal.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Over the past 2 years as Executive Pastor of Browncroft Community Church, I have had a front row seat to God’s faithfulness to and through our church. Amid a global pandemic, political division, racial unrest, and my most challenging season of leadership, I have experienced and can testify that all that I needed God’s hand has provided.
You can click the button below to find highlights of what the Lord has been doing just in the last 12 months!
As we reflect on this past year and celebrate together God’s great faithfulness to us, I am challenged to consider how faithfulness is being lived out in my life as a follower of Jesus. While God continues to demonstrate his faithfulness to me, how am I demonstrating my faithfulness to Him and those around me?
Faithfulness to God is demonstrated through daily disciplines. Our church’s four spiritual habits — Spend Time With God, Spend Time With Others, Know & Use Your Gifts, and Share Your Faith — open more of our lives to the transformational power of God and enable us to experience life-change in Jesus.
How great is my faithfulness?
- Am I spending time regularly with Jesus?
- Am I consistently spending time with others?
- Am I using my time, talents, and treasures for God’s purposes?
- Am I sharing my faith with those around me?
These are the questions I want to ask myself every morning as I reflect on and appreciate the new mercies I see from God.
Thank you for your continued faithfulness to our church. I hope you will join me in celebrating God’s faithfulness to and through all of us “Being The Church” together in 2021.
