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As one of music greatest hit writers, Fanny Jane Crosby should have complained because of her tragedies. However, she rejoiced in the blindness she had from her early childhood.
Born on March 24, 1820, she had a long and happy life. She lived to nearly ninety-four years for her Savior. She became blind when a doctor was not available when she was six-weeks of age. A quack was advised, and he recommended a mustard plaster, the cause of her blindness. About a year later, her father died. Thus, Fanny was raised by her mother and grandmother and spent a lot of time in the Protestant movement. This was where she became acquainted with the Bible and memorized portions of the Holy Word.
During her teen years, she enrolled in the New York Institute for the Blind. This was where Fanny began singing, playing the guitar and piano. Her music was one of her interests although she had been writing poetry from about age eight years. Fanny realized that her blindness made her better. She wrote one of her earlier poems from eight years of age.
“Oh what a happy soul I am,
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."
For Fanny, marriage was also available. She married a fellow teacher, a man who was also blind, in 1858. They had one daughter who died very early in life. The husband, Alexander Van Alstyne, insisted that she continue to write using her maiden name rather than to write using his name. However, she also used many pseudonyms for her writing. As to Fanny’s marriage, it ended in 1902 when Alexander died.
Fanny said that if God would give her back her sight, she would not accept it since her blindness helped her to see spiritual insights that she maybe would not have seen if she had been sighted.
Although considered feeble by many people, Fanny was very outstanding in other realms besides her religious beliefs. Dignitaries, presidents, and military generals all knew her. She also played the hymn, “Safe in the Arms of Jesus”, at the funeral of President Grant in1885. She became a popular public speaker during her later years.
She was not only a gifted speaker, but she also was a gifted hearer of the many speakers around her. She attended many public religious gatherings to hear others. She was often at God’s Bible School in Cincinnati during their camp meetings.
This article has provided her outward life to a great degree. However, Frances Crosby (Alstyne) was most in love with Jesus, her Savior. Her thousands of poems and songs reveal that Jesus Christ was her major lover. She was quoted as saying, “When I get to Heaven, the first face that shall gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.” Her poems, which became songs, were in her mind until she could have someone record them. She is said to have up to twelve hymns or poems in her mind at once.
The well-known hymn writers of her day used her poems in the songs that have been credited to her. William B. Bradbury, Robert Lowery, Ira D. Sankey, Philip P. Bliss and many others of her time used Fanny’s poems. She wrote nearly 8000 poems which became hymns. It has been reported that many publishers of hymn books decided to not record many of her writings since they may be accused of writing about her poems too much.
Although she could not remember ever having eyesight, so many of Fanny’s poems have incidents of “seeing” in them. “Blessed Assurance” has “visions of rapture” in the second verse. The third verse has “watching and waiting, looking above” in the song.
“My Savior First of All” has so many visionary areas in it. “When I view His blessed face” and “robes of spotless white” are all visionary messages from this blind saint of God.
So many songs from this blinded songwriter have helped us to see what her blindness was able to see. Just to name of few of her anointed songs, let’s take a quite look into most of the Protestant hymnals of the last 130 years. Fanny Crosby’s name is attached to so many of our greatest songs of triumph.
To God Be the Glory
Draw Me Nearer
Tell Me the Story of Jesus
Savior, More Than Life to Me
Rescue the Perishing
Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It
Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior
Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home
All the Way My Savior Leads Me
I Am Thine, O Lord
Praise Him, Praise Him
It is said that soldiers around 1900 were very much aware of the writings of this brave woman of God, the story is told.
“During the re¬cent war in the Trans¬vaal when the sol¬diers go¬ing to the front were pass¬ing ano¬ther bo¬dy of sol¬diers whom they re¬cog¬nized, their greet¬ings used to be, ‘Four-nine-four, boys; four-nine-four’ and the sa¬lute would in¬var¬i¬a¬bly be an¬swered with ‘Six fur¬ther on, boys; six fur¬ther on.’ The sig¬nif¬i¬cance of this was that, in ‘Sac¬red Songs and So¬los,’ a num¬ber of co¬pies of the small edi¬tion of which had been sent to the front, num¬ber 494 was ‘God Be With You Until We Meet Again’ and six fur¬ther on than 494, or num¬ber 500, was ‘Bless¬ed As¬sur¬ance, Je¬sus is mine.’”
How little is our sight when compared to this blind saint of God. We remember you Fanny Crosby for helping us to see our Savior.
Hi there.
I am beginning a new blog now. It contains all of the stories that were on this blog as well as new ones I will be writing.
I will be stressing the new blog more now. For one thing, it has no other information than what I have to put on it. That is newer than the Orble blog.
Write the NEW URL for your convenience.
It is Really Long Link
Thanks Roger.
Although it seems wrong for a wife to scold her husband, at least in the eyes of a Middle Eastern value system. Still, Sarah tried to confront her husband, Abraham.
They had only the one son, and of course, he was born quite late according to the Scriptures. His mother was around ninety years old when he was born. He was quite extraordinary in terms of his birth. His father may have been astounded when God told him that he would father a son to his aged wife. Still, God’s relation to Abraham was rather astounding anyhow.
This was before the days of the Ten Commandments. People lived largely by the laws that were written on their own consciences. Abraham tried to live as God had commanded him. Abraham was obviously a man who endeavored to be as Godly as he could be.
Anyhow, Sarah tried to persuade Abraham against his intended goal. That goal was to take his son, Isaac, to the area around Mount Moriah and offer to sacrifice the boy to God. As mentioned above, there were no Ten Commandments yet at that time so the idea of killing was written only in the hearts of humans, not on a carved out piece of granite.
Abraham, though, was adamant to do what he felt God intended for him. Somehow, he knew that God had an answer, even if Abraham actually did put a knife though his son’s heart. Abraham was not a madman according to the Scriptures. Instead, he was a godly man. His motives were to please the God whom he had worshipped and tried to love. This plan that God had placed in the mind of Abraham was clearly rational to God although it did not make sense to the godly human who was to initiate the plan.
In Abraham’s own mind was the fear that Sarah his wife had been cautioning him about. Still, when God asks us to do something, it is reasonable to God. The man may not see anything reasonable about God’s treasure.
Even the son was not sure how the plan would work. He mentioned to Abraham that they had the knife and wood and rope, but there was no sacrifice among their possessions as they headed toward Mount Moriah. No lamb and not even a few turtledoves to sacrifice. God used the father’s words to help the youngster understand. “God will provide the sacrifice,” said the father to Isaac.
As they began the journey, Abraham took Isaac and two other men on the three day trip to Mount Moriah. Actually, the place was historic from that day to today. Mount Moriah is the place where Jerusalem would one day stand.
Undoubtedly, Abraham had tremendous fears about this project. He had solitary pain in his heart at the thought of Isaac being bound on the wooden altar and being ready for Abraham to put a knife through his son’s heart. How could he face his wife after being guilty of killing his son. He may have even wondered if the two servants he had with him would kill him for his ungodly act. How could Abraham even think of releasing himself for what he was about to do? Surely, Abraham’s fear was very agonizing on this trip to the mountain.
Regardless of the fears he had, Abraham bound his son with the rope and placed his body on the altar. The boy’s alarms and cries should have caused Abraham to begin to realize the hopelessness of his act.
Knowing that God had positioned him to this point, Abraham raised his hands very high and held the blade in such a way as to hit Isaac’s heart. Just at that minute, an angel of God raised his voice. “Abraham, Abraham,” called the angel and got Abraham’s attention.
A voice from the Heavens called out to Abraham. “Do not harm the boy. I know that you fear God and would even give the life of your son.”
A ram was heard in the thicket beyond Abraham. The boy was soon untied and helped to lay the ram on the altar. The sacrifice went on and Isaac lived to tell the story.
The story is one of the Patriarch’s tales to this day. The Jews still tell the story and many Christians also relate the story.
Among the features in the story is the idea that Abraham, although he had never heard of Jesus who would be born much later, was a type of God and Isaac was a type of Jesus. God gave his only Son. Just as Abraham was ready to do with Isaac, God’s Son died to save the people who would believe in Him. Of course, the terrifying story of Abraham and Isaac is so little in comparison to God giving His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us.
In the book of Genesis, Abraham is called as the Friend of God. I wonder how many of us Christians would give as much as Abraham offered to God.
I recall a missionary in South America. He was found dead after the people whom he loved killed him. In his Bible is a quote that has meant so much to me. “No man is a fool who gives something that he cannot keep to gain something that he cannot lose.”
How often would you consider buying a minority item for your life. Maybe the item would be a toothbrush, for instance. How needy would you have to be to pay the highest price for a brush for your teeth?
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In 1990 the first successful trial run of the system which eventually became the World Wide Web was conducted. It would change our lives forever. Above is a photo of the first www setup.
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I seldom miss trade shows when they come to my favorite mall. Besides the products they are featuring, I enjoy looking at how well the displays are put together and how effective they are in arousing interest.
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Most of us hate to get older. Still, in my mind, it is better than the alternative, which is to die younger. Look at some of your favorite people in BEFORE and AFTER shots.
Val Kilmer
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Comment by Roger Harris
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Roger