“Count your blessings, name them one by one”: Johnson Oatman’s 1897 hymn for discouraged people

“When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost.” The hymn begins with trouble. Then it offers a simple remedy: count your blessings.

Oatman and Excell

Johnson Oatman Jr. was an American Methodist preacher and businessman who wrote thousands of gospel song texts in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. “Count Your Blessings”, written in 1897, became one of his best known. The music was written by Edwin O. Excell, a composer and publisher of gospel songs who worked with evangelists and produced many popular songbooks. His lively, singable tune helped the hymn spread quickly.

Gratitude as practice

Each verse describes a burden: discouragement, heavy cares, envy of others’ wealth. The response is the same each time: count your many blessings, “and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done”. The third verse is especially direct: “When you look at others with their lands and gold, think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold.”

The hymn does not deny that trouble is real. It suggests that gratitude is a discipline: deliberately naming the good things God has done, one by one. The hymn spread widely through revival meetings and songbooks, and it has been translated into many languages. It was popular in Britain and beyond at the start of the twentieth century.

Ghana, Nigeria and children

“Count Your Blessings” is a favourite at thanksgiving services, birthdays and anniversaries, when families gather to thank God for the year. Choirs and congregations often sing it with clapping. Its simple message and cheerful tune make it a Sunday school favourite, teaching children to be thankful. The hymn echoes many Bible passages about thanksgiving. Psalm 103 opens, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Paul tells the Thessalonians, “In every thing give thanks.” The hymn turns those commands into a practical exercise that anyone can try on a hard day.

One by one

The final verse looks at the whole of life: “So amid the conflict, whether great or small, do not be discouraged, God is over all.” It promises help and comfort “to your journey’s end”, widening the hymn from a single bad day to a lifetime of trust. The instruction is practical: name them one by one. Many people who try it find that the list grows longer than they expected, which is exactly what the hymn promised.