THE STORY BEHIND THE HYMN: ‘I Surrender All’ | San Mathew, CAN

Who would have thought that a person who worked as a teacher, insurance agent, and editor would pen over 1200 hymns? Thomas Chisholm, born in Franklin, Kentucky, became a teacher at the age of 16 and dedicated his life to God at 27. Despite early health struggles and enduring financial hardship, he found solace in scriptures and very often he transformed them into melodies.

While reading Lamentations 3:22-23, his mind fixated on the outstanding love and faithfulness of God—attributes that are unique and everlasting. Thomas Chisholm highlights through this song that God’s daily renewed mercy serves as the anchor carrying our fragile bodies and weary minds through life’s challenges to our heavenly abode. He continues to express the presence of a faithful God, unwavering even in our burdensome and painful mundane existence.

Despite facing illness early on, Thomas Chisholm lived until the age of 93. William M. Runyan turned this hymn into a publication in 1923, quickly gaining popularity. Billy Graham, a proponent of the song, often sang it during his outreach programs, resonating with hearts. The faithfulness of God stands as the sole reason for our existence today.

-ADVERTISEMENT-