Blessed Assurance & To God Be the Glory

The joyful lyrics and legacy of Fanny Crosby

Jul 08, 2024

Scripture for Meditation: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

The life of Fanny Crosby, one of the most prolific lyricists in American music history, is a testament to the victory of a joyful heart of faith in overcoming great personal adversity and rejoicing in suffering—serving as an inspiration for us as we endure our own trials and tribulations.

Born in New York on March 24, 1820, Frances (Fanny) Jane Crosby wrote more than 8,000 Christian hymns and Gospel songs, allegedly published under 200 pen names as some publishers were quite reluctant to include so many songs by the same person in their hymnals.

Crosby suffered several tragedies in her early life that defined her for the rest of her days. After she suffered an eye inflammation a few weeks after her birth, she became permanently blind (though contemporary scholars suggest that she may in fact have been born with congenital blindness). Months later, her father died of an illness and her young mother was ultimately forced to find work as a maid to support herself and her daughter. The miracle in the mire of these challenging circumstances was faith. Crosby’s mother, Mercy, and grandmother, Eunice, were devoted Christians who raised little Fanny with a strong foundation in Christianity and planted the seeds of hope in her heart. In an early poem that Crosby wrote at age eight(!), she expresses her joyful, optimistic view of life:

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.

By all accounts, Crosby was an exceptionally gifted child whose artistic talents were nurtured by her loving grandmother. Under her care, Crosby learned to write poetry and memorized long passages of Scripture, even committing the first five books of the Bible to memory. Eventually, at the age of 15, Crosby went on to attend the illustrious New York Institution for the Blind in New York City, where her artistic gifts flourished, publishing her poetic work at major newspapers, writing musical lyrics, and learning to sing and play instruments such as the piano, guitar, and harp.

As a result of her talents, Crosby become a renowned figure on the public stage, befriending presidents and dignitaries. In addition to being the first woman to speak in the U.S. Senate, she recited her poetry to and performed her music for President James K. Polk, and performed at the funeral for President Ulysses S. Grant, among other distinguished occasions.

After her graduation, Crosby remained at the school as an English and history teacher until 1858. In that year, she married a fellow alumnus and colleague, Alexander Van Alstyne, giving birth in 1859 to the couple’s only child, Frances, who passed away shortly after her birth. It would seem the couple also grew apart with the years. Throughout their marriage, the couple lived separately, until Van Alstyne’s death in 1902.

Despite her personal setbacks and challenges, Crosby remained focused on the goodness of God. “The Lord is the sunshine of my soul. To God be the glory!” she is quoted as saying, fulfilling her earthbound calling and purpose.

In 1864, when Crosby was in her forties, she began writing hymns—sometimes up to six or seven hymns a day—including some of the best known lyrics in the American sacred song canon such as “Blessed Assurance” (music by her friend Phoebe Knapp) in 1873 and “To God Be the Glory,” (music by William Howard Doane) published in 1875, among thousands of other songs. Again and again, her lyrics praise our Father in heaven and express her full-to-the-brim heart of joy and love for her Lord and Savior. In “Blessed Assurance,” she writes:

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.

And from “To God Be the Glory,” she gives all praise to God for His myriad blessings:

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear his voice!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son
and give him the glory, great things he has done!

You can listen to my interpretations of Fanny Crosby’s songs here:

One cannot help but feel inspired by Crosby’s love for and gratitude to God, which lives on through her poetic words.

Beyond her music, Crosby left an enduring legacy to those she served. Throughout her later years, until her passing in 1915 at nearly the age of 95, Crosby devoted her life to urban missionary work in New York City, living among the poor to be nearer to those whom she sought to help and bringing hope to the City’s most in need.

Crosby’s life and legacy is evidence that her earthly limitations did not hinder her purpose, but ultimately gave her work all the more poignancy and depth. By faith, she used all her gifts and talents to glorify God, blessed others with her glorious words, never let her heart become bitter for all of life’s challenges, and served her neighbor. As Lindsay Carson of Revive our Hearts so perfectly concludes, “Her life is a true example of walking by faith and not by sight.”

Perhaps there is nothing more fitting than Crosby’s own words to summarize her own remarkable view on the meaning of personal suffering:

“If at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I was born blind. Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.”

Select Links:

https://www.godsotherways.com/stories/2018/2/2/the-blind-hymn-writer-1

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fanny-Crosby

https://www.christianity.com/wiki/people/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-fanny-crosby.html

https://workoutyourfaith.org/timeline/crosby

House of Riverenza by Stephanie Augusta Bento

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