Count Your Blessings

Many know the song "Count Your Blessings" and many other hymns but often we don't know the story behind them. This song which if you know and start to sing it once will be stuck in your head for a wile was written by Johnson Oatman in 1897. He was a Methodist pastor ran a mercantile business and also served as an administrator for a New Jersey insurance company. But he had a passion for writing hymns, he wrote over five thousand hymns during his life time. "Count Your Blessings" is one of his best know. The music was written by Edwin Excell who travel the country as a singing teacher.

When it was introduced it became a favorite in American and elsewhere. During a time of revival in England it was said to be sung at almost every service. The London Daily said "in south London, the men sing it, the boys whistle it, and the women rock their babies to sleep on this hymn."

Let this song stick with you for a wile today, think about how true this song is that was written over a hundred years ago. Count your blessing and realize that God has done a lot for you. That does not mean that you don't have problems, we all do. But realize that God has given us so much to thank Him for.

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.

Count your blessing, name them one by one,

Count your blessing, see what God hath done!

Count your blessing, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.
John 1:16