"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Sunday, 16 October 2016 “Great is Thy Faithfulness” (ELW 733)

"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Sunday, 16 October 2016 “Great is Thy Faithfulness” (ELW 733)
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“Great is Thy Faithfulness” (ELW 733)

The text for today's hymn cannot be published due to copyright limitations. We apologize for the inconvenience.
1. “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.
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!
2. 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.
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!
3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
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!

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There are times in our lives when we feel alone. We all go through times when God seems distant and where our faith hangs by a thread. It is during the difficult times of faith that this song speaks to me. This hymn draws upon a portion of Lamentations (3.19-24) in which the writer expresses doubts, frustration and even anger at a God who seems to be absent in the midst of hardship and brokenness. And yet this small section of scripture jumps off the page amidst the reality of pain, brokenness and separation. For even in the face of brokenness and estrangement there is the promise that God's faithfulness to us never waivers: "The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him'" (3.19-24). 
As I consider the gospel reading for today of the unjust judge and the persistent widow this hymn helps to remind me of the persistent God whose faithfulness to us never waivers even when our faith does.
Thanks be to you, O God, for your amazing faithfulness.  Amen.
Brian Hansen, '05
Pastor, St. John Lutheran Church, Fargo, N.D.

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