Great Is Thy Faithfulness
A good hymn, straightforward in thought, but somewhat clouded by archaicisms. After the first verse, however, little change is needed.
Original lyrics:
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 will be.
Refrain:
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!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923
Comments and Suggestions:
The opening lines are a challenge, with both a "Thee" present in the rhyme scheme and the rather oblique idea of "no shadow of turning." Under the circumstances, it seemed best to bring out the thought of God moving straightforward along a path he pre-ordained by simply rewriting the lyric to reflect this.
Renewal lyrics:
Great is YOUR faithfulness, O God my Father;
YOUR PLANS GO FORWARD, JUST AS YOU FORESEE;
YOU DO NOT CHANGE,
YOUR COMPASSION IT FAILS NOT;
as YOU HAVE been YOU forever will be.
Refrain:
Great is YOUR faithfulness!
Great is YOUR faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed YOUR hand HAS provided;
great is YOUR faithfulness, Lord GOD, TO me!
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
sun, moon and stars in their courses above
join with all nature in manifold witness
to YOUR great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace EVERLASTING,
YOUR own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Renewal lyric changes by RH Reinhard (c) 2014