ü “If I had a choice, I
would still choose to remain blind...For when I die, the first face I will ever
see will be the face of my blessed Savior.” [i]
ü “Let us draw near with a true heart in
assurance of faith, our hearts being pure from an evil conscience" Hebrews 10:22, GNV (The scripture that the hymn, “Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is
Mine,” is based on)[ii]
Frances
Jane Crosby van Alstyne (Fanny J. Crosby)
was born on March 24, 1820 in the village of Brewster (Putnam County) about fifty miles north of New York City.
At the age of six weeks, Fanny caught
a cold, and developed inflammation of the eyes. A poorly trained country doctor (in a
desperate measure to heal Fanny) put a mustard poultice on her eyes.
Though the child screamed, the
doctor’s instructions to the parents were to leave it on for a full day. By the
time the ointment was removed; the damage had already been done.
This procedure damaged Fanny’s optic
nerves, and caused permanent blindness to
the child. Fanny
was taken to Dr. Valentine Mott, a famous New York surgeon, but he was unable
to help Fanny.
As
an adult, Fanny reflected on this event in her life, and expressed it this way: “I could not have written thousands of hymns if I
had been hindered by the distractions of seeing all of the beautiful objects
that would have been presented to my notice.”
When
Fanny was only six months old, her father died. Her 21-year old mother (Mercy) was forced to find work as a maid to
support the family, and Fanny was mostly raised by her paternal Christian
grandmother (Eunice Paddock Crosby). Due to the long
hours Mercy worked, Fanny only saw her mother on Sundays.
Both of these godly women had a profound effect on Fanny’s faith in the
Almighty.
“Whatever
your affliction is, you can bear it cheerfully. That’s because (God is) using
it to lead you to something even better.” (Grandma
Eunice)
Although Fanny had always believed
in God, she experienced her own personal conversion at the age of thirty-one
(1851) through an invitation of a friend to a revival at Broadway Tabernacle.
As the congregation sang the last
verse of the hymn, “Alas and Did My Savior Bleed” (by Isaac Watts), Fanny
realized the words of “Here, Lord, I give
myself away. Tis all that I can do” were God’s call for her to finally come
to Him.
Fanny described that moment with
these moving words: “My very soul was flooded with celestial light. For the first time I
realized that I had been trying to hold the world in one hand, and the Lord in
the other.”
One
day in 1873, Fanny (53) was visiting with a close personal friend, Phoebe
Palmer Knapp. Phoebe was an amateur musician, and the daughter of a noted
Methodist evangelist. Her husband, Joseph, was the founder of Metropolitan Life
Insurance Company. The Knapp home was currently having a large pipe organ
installed. (This was the largest pipe organ ever to be installed in a private
residence.)
Phoebe used the piano to play a new melody (a few times) that she had just composed. Phoebe stated, “Oh Fanny, I have had a new melody racing through my mind for some time now, and I just can’t think of anything else. Let me play it for you and perhaps you can help me with the words. What do you think the tune says?"
After kneeling in prayer and clutching her
little Bible, the blind poetess stood to her feet (with face aglow). The queen
of gospel music replied confidentially replied, “Why, that music says,”Blessed
Assurance, Jesus is mine. O what a foretaste of glory divine. . .”
Soon the words began to flow from Fanny’s heart. She began to dictate verses to Phoebe, who wrote them down, and fit them to the melody just as we hear it sung today.
“It is not
enough to have a song on your lips. You must also have a song in your heart… It may seem a little
old-fashioned (always to begin one’s work with prayer) but I never undertake a
hymn without first asking the good Lord to be my inspiration… If God uses my words to
bring just one person to the knowledge of His Saving Grace, I have received a
treasure far more valuable than anything the world has to offer.”
Fanny J. Crosby, the mother of modern
congregational singing in America, was an ancestor of the American singer and actor, Bing Crosby. She wrote over
eight thousand hymns (during her lifetime) at two hundred different pen names
(pseudonyms). That averages out to about seven songs a day.
After a six-month illness, Fanny
died of arteriosclerosis
and a cerebral hemorrhage
on February 12, 1915 at the age of ninety-four. Fanny was posthumously inducted
into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1975.
Fanny J. Crosby’s song, “Blessed
Assurance, Jesus Is Mine,” has blessed countless number of people in every generation.
What exactly does the song mean?[iii]
This hymn is founded the
faithful promises of God’s inspired Word. We
are safe and secure in who the Almighty is. He is the same today, tomorrow and in
the future. Our Heavenly Father does not expect perfection from His
creations.
This hymn means that you have a relationship with God that has a
positive proven track record. The Almighty has revealed to you His unique
purpose for your life. These
lyrics tell the story of a person who is living in the light of Christ (throughout
their life). Let’s explore the message of these marvelous lyrics.
Verse one
talks about: “a foretaste of glory divine"
-
If we simply turn to God in prayer, this is possible. "Praising my Savior all the day long" - can
refer to one day (or a lifetime).
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Verse two deals
with giving ourselves over completely to the Almighty. The voice of the text knows
that the end is near. The voice knows that God loves them and that He will be
merciful to the righteous.
Perfect
submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels, descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Verse three
mentions loving Christ with your whole heart as explained in 1 Peter 1:8 (NTE):
“You love Him, even
though you’ve never seen Him…Even though you don’t see Him, you believe in Him.
[You] celebrate with a glorified joy that goes beyond anything words can say.”
If we are patient and have faith, we will
be filled with hope and love that will be inexpressibly joyful.
Perfect
submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
“Two of my secrets for staying happy and healthy are to control
my tongue and to control my thoughts. I never want to say an unkind word.
I never want to think an unkind thought. If you find anyone happier than
I am, I want you to show him to me. My cup of happiness is full to
overflowing.”
[i] All quotes are by Fanny J. Crosby (unless otherwise
noted).
[ii] This post is dedicated to my good family friend, Sue
Hardy. Thank you for your kindness (and love) throughout my childhood (and adult
life). Hopefully, you will better understand
this cherished hymn and the life of its creator. May God bless you always.
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