My heart is filled with thankfulness

I. Origins

After meeting in 2000 and completing their first and most famous song, “In Christ alone,” in 2001, songwriters Keith Getty and Stuart Townend continued to collaborate on other contemporary hymns, including this hymn of thanksgiving. In a video posted to his YouTube account on 14 November 2017, Keith Getty explained how the song came to be written, what they were trying to accomplish, and what it meant to him:

As an Irish guy who moved to America, one of the traditions, probably the tradition we’ve most loved adopting is that of the Thanksgiving season. . . . And it’s good at so many levels, not just because thanksgiving is so important to the health of life, and indeed to the health of faith. We read in the New Testament, Paul’s letters are filled with thanksgiving, which if you consider his circumstances as he wrote those letters, and indeed some of the performances of some of the churches and their contexts, it makes it all the more remarkable, but it is part of the Christian life. And we think about singing—how the Bible really doesn’t care what musical style we have; it doesn’t prescribe how a church service has to be ordered—but it does tell us that the word of Christ should dwell in us, that we should sing to one another, and that we should sing with thankfulness. . . .

We wrote a hymn way back in 2003. It was a little, simple tune. I think I had written the melody long before, and then Stuart Townend penned this beautiful lyric called “My heart is filled with thankfulness.” 

It really reflects the modeling of thankfulness in the Scriptures, because in all Paul’s mentions of thanksgiving—and I think it’s just about the word he mentions the most—he never actually gives thanks for his personal circumstances, or for safety, or for health, or for all the other things that we usually say “thank you” for, but every mention of thanksgiving is tied to spiritual condition. So, of course, he does say [in 1 Thessalonians 5] to be thankful in all circumstances, so it is important to be thankful for everything. But specifically, Paul always emphasizes what Christ has done for us in the past, what he has done for us in this Good News of the gospel. Secondly, what he is doing for us right now, . . . and then also thankfulness for the promise we have in the future. And indeed he ties everything to that hope. So we move forward with confidence and with courage, and with peace of heart, and with joy in everything that we do. . . .

We were actually singing it to our girls last night, when we were putting them to bed. And we sang it at each of their births; Kristyn sang it to Eliza, Charlotte, and Gracie when each of them were born, the day they were born. And indeed we even had it at our wedding, so it’s a really special song to us, and we hope it’s a song that you can use this year for yourselves, whether it’s as a solo song, as a family song, as a song in your own devotions, or as a song you can use in church—a solo, congregational—but we would encourage you to use it as a congregational song.[1]

When the song was included on their project Getty Kids Hymnal: Hymns from Home (2021), it was part of an ongoing Hymn of the Month resource on their Getty Music website, intended for November 2021. For that month’s devotion, Kristyn offered the following insight:

Keith wrote this song with Stuart Townend in 2003 just a couple of years after writing “In Christ Alone.” Our friend Joanne Hogg was the first to record it. We remember Stuart was finishing the words of verse 2 just as she was about to sing it! The melody was written first and was inspired by old Scottish folk melodies. We often play it accompanied by the guitar or piano. Over the years there have been many choral arrangements done of the song and it has been recorded by folk, country, and pop singers as well as Salvation Army bands.[2]

II. Audio Recordings

The Gettys and Stuart Townend have recorded the song many times. It was first recorded on New Irish Hymns 2: Father, Son & Holy Spirit (2003), featuring a solo by Joanne Hogg, using a synthesized arrangement by Tim Oliver. The following year the song was included in a Kingsway compilation, In Christ Alone: Yesterday Today Forever (2004), taken from a live recording of The Mandate men’s conference, featuring Stuart Townend as solo vocalist. This track was repeated on Modern Hymns Live (2006), The Mandate: See What a Morning (2006), and The Best of Stuart Townend Live (2007).

In 2004, Townend was involved in a live recording of the Newfrontiers Leadership Conference (released as The Passion of God’s Son), where fellow singer-songwriter Lou Fellingham performed “My heart is filled with thankfulness.” Fellingham was for many years a member of the music team with Townend at Church of Christ the King, Brighton. This track was later reissued on The Best of Stuart Townend Live, Vol. 2 (2015).

When the song was included on the concept album The Apostles’ Creed (2006)—whose album design was curiously modeled after the Matrix movies—it was performed by Christine Dente, and it was associated with the clause “Suffered under Pontius Pilate,” with the following explanation:

In “My heart is filled with thankfulness,” we give thanks to God for spiritual blessings—past, present, and future. We remember all that Christ has a achieved for us through his suffering on the cross—forgiveness, new life, eternal hope, and a pattern to follow as He “walks beside” us each day on a path flooded with the light of His “every promise” for the future.

Stuart Townend recorded the song again in a country-inspired arrangement for Creation Sings (2009). This track was repeated on Ultimate Collection (2013). Regarding this arrangement, Townend wrote:

Musically, this song has gone through something of a transformation! Originally a slow, tender song of love and devotion, when we recorded it on the Creation Sings album we gave it a lively double-time folk feel, complete with a fun reel at the end! I think it works in either style, but we are certainly enjoying the uptempo feel at the moment, as are most people who come to our concerts![3]

The earliest publicly documented audio recordings of the Gettys performing the song were in concerts at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY) on 6 October 2005 and 28 March 2006. Their first official studio recording was not until Hymns for the Christian Life (2012). Their album Evensong: An Evening at Hidden Trace Farm (Franklin, TN; 2020) includes a lushly orchestrated studio rendition sung by Kristyn, while the Deluxe album (2021) includes a smaller ensemble (apparently the original performance). On the album Getty Kids Hymnal: Hymns from Home (2021), the song is performed by Kristyn and her daughters.

III. Video Recordings

The earliest publicly documented video recording of the song was from a performance at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY) on 6 October 2005. A few years later, they performed the song on a program called Focus 4 for Cornerstone Television (based in Wall, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania); this video was posted on the Gettys’ YouTube account on 7 Feb. 2008. The official performance video from their Evensong album, recorded at Hidden Trace Farm, Franklin, Tennessee, was posted to YouTube on 18 November 2020.

Official lyric videos from the Gettys were posted to YouTube on 9 November 2017 (using the Hymns for the Christian Life recording) and 13 November 2020 (using the Evensong recording). Keith’s video describing the history and meaning of the song was posted on 14 November 2017 (see also a similar video on 21 Nov. 2021). Stuart Townend recorded a video for his album Creation Sings (2009). This was posted to the Mission:Worship YouTube account on 14 August 2009.

IV. Published Scores

At the time, Getty and Townend were both associated with Kingsway Music in the U.K. The song was first published online as a download on the Kingsway Music website (now defunct), and also on the Getty Music website. Official versions include a melody version with basic chords (Fig. 1) and a four-part hymn setting (Fig. 2). Its first appearance in print was in Kingsway’s New Songs 2004/05 (2004 | Fig 3), and its first appearance in a hymnal was in the Irish Presbyterian Hymnbook (2004 | Fig. 4). It was also included in the songbooks for Hymns for the Christian Life (2012) and Getty Kids Hymnal: Hymns from Home (2021).

V. Analysis

In Keith Getty’s own assessment, he described the overarching idea of thankful singing as being an outgrowth of Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God,” ESV. In a website devotion, November 2021, Kristyn associated the song with Psalm 107:21–22. Stuart Townend, on his website, offered six supporting Scriptures (2 Cor. 12:10, Gal. 3:13, Is. 53:4, Jer. 31:33, Lk. 24:15, Ps. 69:30).

Carl Stam, a Baptist professor of church music and worship, wrote, “‘My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness’ expresses the Christian’s gratitude to God for all that it means to be ‘in Christ’—salvation, sanctification, and the sure promise of eternity with the Lord.”[4]

The first stanza, which expresses what Christ has done for us in the past, describes substitutionary atonement (“bore my pain,” Is. 53:4), a God who knows our personal sinfulness (Ps. 51, Ps. 139), but exchanged it for new life (2 Cor. 5:17); a Savior who has “crushed the curse” (Gen. 3:15, Rom. 16:20), who uses light like a garment (Ps. 104:2, Rev. 3:5), and writes his law on the hearts of his people (Ps. 37:31, Jer. 31:33, Rom. 2:15, 2 Cor. 3:3).

The second stanza, which expresses what Christ does for us in the present time, portrays a God who walks beside us (Micah 6:8, Matt. 28:20), trades weakness for strength (2 Cor. 12:19), relieves fears (Josh. 1:9), and offers a sustaining love (Jer. 31:3) and a crown of grace (Prov. 4:9, Jas. 1:2).

The third stanza, which expresses what Christ represents for our future, describes a God who reigns above (1 Chr. 16:31, Ps. 93:1), who grants peace through wisdom (Is. 26:3), whose love is pervasive (1 Jn. 4:8), who grants all our days (Ps. 90:9–12, Job 14); therefore our response is to give our lives to follow Him (Matt. 19:21, Rom. 12:1).

Emily Brink, a professor and songbook compiler in the Christian Reformed Church, connected the song to Ascension via the ascended Christ in stanza 3. She wrote, “The focus on the person and work of Christ is typical of many of their songs; the text is one of testimony and believers’ commitment. As is also typical of their songs, it is structured like a traditional hymn but is sung especially by worship teams. . . . Finally, this text is typical of the writers’ approach to providing theologically rich texts.”[5]

In hymnals, the tune is usually named THANKFULNESS.

by CHRIS FENNER
for Hymnology Archive
17 November 2021

Footnotes:

1. Keith Getty, “My heart is filled with thankfulness” (14 Nov. 2017): YouTube

2. Kristyn Getty, “My heart is filled with thankfulness,” Getty Family Hymn of the Month, Getty Music (Nov. 2021): GM

3. Stuart Townend, “My heart is filled with thankfulness”: ST

4. Carl Stam, “My heart is filled with thankfulness,” Worship Quote of the Week (wqotw.org) (4 Oct. 2005), archived at the James P. Boyce Centennial Library, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY), and Archive.org.

5. Emily Brink, “Songs for Ascension, Pentecost, and Justice,” Reformed Worship, no. 95 (Mar. 2010): RW

Related Resources:

Getty Music: https://store.gettymusic.com/us/song/my-heart-is-filled-with-thankfulness/

Stuart Townend: https://www.stuarttownend.co.uk/song/my-heart-is-filled-with-thankfulness/

Hymnary.org: https://hymnary.org/text/my_heart_is_filled_with_thankfulness