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
Great Is Thy Faithfulness (1923)
By: Thomas Chisholm (1866–1960)
Listen to this modern version of this popular hymn as you prepare to ponder the lyrics. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.
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Everyone, enjoy this video, and the transcript below.
Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.
We begin our journey through this popular hymn which declares the faithfulness of our God, true in every season, experienced by hearts of faith. Let’s tune our hearts.
New Every Morning
I love being in the woods. Just walking quietly through the tress, hearing the crunching of the leaves beneath my feet, the wind rustling through the branches brings a sense of peace . This is especially true in the morning.
Morning often reminds me of how God’s mercies are new. I have made it through another night. The darkness is being chased away as the sun rises. The faithful rising of that ball of fire points me again to the real source of warmth and light and I marvel at His faithfulness anew.
Those familiar words from Lamentations often come to mind then, and every time I sing the opening line of this popular hymn. The rising of the sun and the morning it ushers in signal the entrance of new mercies. Each one is an example of the love and faithfulness of God my Father.
Great is Thy faithfulness
O God my Father
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV
These incredible words declaring God’s faithfulness come in the middle of a book of sadness. Jeremiah was lamenting the fate of Israel who finally had reaped what they had sown. God faithfully kept His promise by exiling them for routinely choosing to walk paths that weren’t His.
Amidst His lament, we read these words of hope. We can certainly learn something when we acknowledge these words emerge from a book of lament. Even in his great distress, the prophet pens these declarations of God’s faithfulness. Whatever you are facing today, recall God’s great faithfulness and declare it once again amidst your laments.
He is a faithful Father, even when we are rebellious children. He can not deny His nature and that is a very good thing for us, for too often we fail to live up to ours. Where are you longing to see His faithfulness revealed today? Ask Him to simply act consistently with Who He is.
Father, please show Your faithfulness to me again today.
RESONATE!
What trouble are you facing today? Maybe it is a result of your choices, the choices of others, or some combination of the two. Whatever path led you here, you can still choose to trust in God’s faithfulness to see you through it. You may be tempted to deny His nature, but resist that temptation and declare again today. You can lament your troubles as well, for that would put you in good company, but do not fail to thank Him for His faithfulness, even as you invoke it over your sorrows today. Take a few moments and do that now.
Among the Shadows
When I walk through the woods, especially early or late in the day, I am often captivated by the shadows. Trees cast very long ones, and they remind me there is darkness amidst the beauty. That simple reminder helps me to face my own darkness with a different perspective.
Things change. People change. Situations change.
God never changes.
The fact that He does not cast a shadow is evidence of that. He is a source of light, rather THE Source, so He creates shadows, but does not have one Himself. The illustration is meant to show that as a shadow reveals when something moves or changes, God does not. He remains the same, Faithful.
There is no shadow
Of turning with Thee
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17 ESV
Again, light creates shadows. Shadows move either as the lights move or as the object creating the shadow does. But our Father never changes like those shadows because He is the source of Light and every good thing.
Likewise Jesus is the Light of the World, so He has no shadow. This is also an illustration of His unchanging nature. Everything else may change, but Jesus does not.
What impact does that have on your life today? Things will change. You will change. Others will change. Situations will change. Jesus will not. Accordingly, you can depend on Him and His faithfulness through all those other changes.
RESONATE!
What good and perfect gift do you need today? Maybe a change in a perspective. Or a change in some circumstance. Maybe you need a change in your own heart. The Father of lights can bring it. Will you declare His unchanging nature again today and ask Him to bring about changes in you and your life? He is faithful. He will do it. Take a few moments now and step into His light.
Father, thank You for your mercies which are new every morning. I am sorry that I often need them renewed because I have used up all of yesterday’s allotment. I declare Your faithfulness again today and ask you to change me and my circumstances in whatever way will most help me give You the glory You deserve. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
Mercy-Responsive Tuning!
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Video 46.1 Transcript REPOST
Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.
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
He is a faithful Father, even when we are rebellious children. He can not deny His nature and that is a very good thing for us, for too often we fail to live up to ours. Where are you longing to see His faithfulness revealed today? Ask Him to simply act consistently with Who He is.
Father, please show Your faithfulness to me again today.
Jesus is the Light of the World, so He has no shadow. This is an illustration of the fact that He is the source of light and also of His unchanging nature. Shadows move as the objects or source of light which create them move. Everything else may change, but Jesus does not.
Jesus, thank You that I can depend on Your unchanging nature.
One of the expressions of the unchanging nature of God is that His compassion never fails, and that is not because we never put it to the test. We are often self-reliant and treat Him in ways that demand His compassion. Fortunately for us, it never fails. Praise Him.
Spirit, I praise You for Your unfailing compassion.
Nothing we do changes God. Or simply, nothing changes God. He is ever the same. He was, and is, and is to come, in every way, in every moment, everywhere. So even when we are not faithful, that’s right, He still is. Thank Him for being the same yesterday, today and forever.
God, thank You for being faithful eternally.
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.
Sing
Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, Be Resonant.
The post Seeking Mercy Amidst the Shadows REPOST appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attributions
Great is Thy Faithfulness – https://pixabay.com/photos/yorkshire-autumn-sunshine-morning-2900064/
There is No Shadow of Turning with Thee – https://pixabay.com/photos/nature-forest-moss-landscape-trees-3801537/
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