Count Your Blessings

By Johnson Oatman, Jr., 1856-1922
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Thy name,
O Most High: To shew forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night . . .
Psalm 92:1-2

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Chorus:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
(Chorus)

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
(Chorus)

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
(Chorus)

 

This beloved hymn was written in 1897 by Johnson Oatman, Jr., an extraordinarily prolific song writer in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. An incredibly talented man, Oatman wrote more than 5,000 hymns in his lifetime! He had a successful career as a business man, and still had time for lay-preaching and writing.

While many of his songs are sung around the world, COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS is thought to be Oatman’s finest work. Certainly it encourages us to adopt an attitude of gratefulness for all the things the Lord does for us daily.

Two of his other well-known works are “Higher Ground” and “No, Not One”.

Adapted from Biography of Gospel Song and Hymn Writers by Jacob Henry Hall; Fleming H. Revell, Co. 1914

Related Devotionals:
Count Your Blessings
Seeing God's Blessings

Return to Hymns Page