He Wasn’t Famous. He Wasn’t Successful.
But He Wrote One of the Most Beloved Hymns of All Time.
He wrote the words out of a long, ordinary, faithful life.
Thomas Obadiah Chisholm was born in a log cabin in Kentucky in 1866. He came to faith around age 27, was ordained as a Methodist minister, but was forced to leave the pastorate shortly after due to chronic poor health that followed him his entire life. For much of his working years, he wasn’t preaching from a pulpit but selling insurance in New Jersey, and living modestly, far from any spotlight or Christian celebrity platform.
He wrote poetry throughout his life, and over a thousand poems in total, many submitted to gospel music composers. Late in life, he reflected that he had no dramatic testimony or mountaintop experiences to share. “My life,” he wrote in a letter, “has been so largely lived in ordinary ways.”
In 1923, Chisholm penned the words to “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” He didn’t draw from one dramatic event but from a lifetime observation of God’s “morning by morning” faithfulness through quiet days, health struggles, and ordinary routines. He sent the poem to composer William Runyan, who set it to music.
For years, the hymn gained traction especially through Moody Bible Institute. Later, Billy Graham’s crusades carried it around the world. Chisholm lived to 94 and, in his later years, received letters from people whose lives had been touched by the song, and surprised that his simple words had traveled so far.
Nobody becomes famous by writing about daily faithfulness.
He did it anyway.
If you’re living what feels like an ordinary life right now, showing up faithfully at your job, caring for your family, fighting hidden battles, or simply trusting God through another uneventful day then this story is for you.
Your quiet obedience matters.
Your steady love for Jesus is seen by the One who never changes.
Morning by morning, His mercies are new.
> “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
Let this be your encouragement today:
Great is His faithfulness, not because your life looks impressive to the world, but because He is faithful even (and especially) in the ordinary.
Share this with someone who is quietly faithful right now. You never know how God might use their ordinary life for His extraordinary glory.
#GreatIsThyFaithfulness #ThomasChisholm #FaithInTheOrdinary #ChurchHistory #ChristianEncouragement
