Blessed Assurance

Fanny Crosby was born in 1820 and had a long life to the age of 94. Crosby was blind from the age of six weeks, but it did not hinder her determination for praising and serving God. She wrote the lyrics to more than 8,000 gospel hymns. She also was a friend of several presidents of the United States.

One of Fanny Crosby’s most famous hymns is, “Blessed Assurance.” The composer of the music for this hymn played the melody to Crosby and asked, “What does the melody say to you?” Crosby replied that the tune said, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!” and then she proceeded to state what the first stanza of the hymn would be.

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
O what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood
 
Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blessed
Watching and waiting, looking above
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love
 
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
 
Oh what a Savior, wonderful Jesus
Oh what a Savior, wonderful Jesus
Oh what a Savior, wonderful Jesus
Oh what a Savior, wonderful Jesus
 
Death could not hold You, You are victorious
Praise to the risen King
Death could not hold You, You are victorious
Praise to the risen King
 
Oh what a Savior, wonderful Jesus
Oh what a Savior, wonderful Jesus
Oh what a Savior, wonderful Jesus
Oh what a Savior
Wonderful Savior 

​ 
Motivated by God’s love and the blessed assurance of heaven, Fanny Crosby sought to praise God her whole life. She did not view her blindness as a limitation. When she was only nine years old, she wrote a poem about how she viewed her blindness. 

​O what a happy soul am I,
Although I cannot see,
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy
That other people don’t.
To weep and sigh because I’m blind,
I cannot, and I won’t.

​Crosby’s sought to live out the words of Psalm 145:2. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Though she could not see in her time on earth, she knew that in heaven she would see the very face of God. Being able to live her life with God as her constant companion, source of strength, and guide was a foretaste of the glory of God that Fanny saw in heaven when she died. In our lives we can seek to live like Fanny by keeping our hearts fixed on God’s love. We are blessed to have a wonderful God that cares for us and loves us!

References:
Stohlmann,  M.  (2020).  The world's greatest future. Seattle, WA: KDP.
​Hawn, M. (2014). “History of hymns: ‘Blessed assurance.’” Retrieved from https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-blessed-assurance