Most of us have been either directly or indirectly impacted
by Fanny Crosby, a woman with a physical handicap who lived in the 1800s. She has been called the “Queen of American Hymn Writers” and
the “Mother of Congregational Singing in America.”
During her 94-year life, she wrote more than 8,000 hymns; many are still sung today. Some of her best-known hymns are: Blessed Assurance, To God be the Glory, and Near the Cross. Hymnal publishers were often hesitant to include too many songs by a single writer, so Fanny sometimes wrote songs under nearly 200 different names.
She was a remarkable woman on many fronts. Doctors discovered Fanny was blind when she was an infant, but she never let her handicap define her. She even insisted on traveling alone by train until she was in her 80s.
At only 14 years old, Fanny graduated from the New York Institution for the Blind. As a student, she learned to play the piano, organ, harp, and guitar. After graduating, she became a lobbyist in Washington, D.C.,
working to advance education for the blind. Fanny was the first woman to speak in the U.S. Senate and even appeared before a joint session of Congress. She was a good friend of Grover Cleveland before he was elected president, and for a time, dictated poems to him, which he wrote down.
She worked with the homeless and was a lay speaker who attracted standing-room-only crowds. According to Robert Morgan’s book, Then Sings My Soul, Book 2, Fanny had an incredible memory. Her grandmother, Eunice, took an early interest in teaching her scripture.
The family’s landlord, Mrs. Hawley, eventually took on the challenge of helping her memorize the entire Bible, a task she never completed. However, she memorized Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, the four gospels, most of the Psalms, all of Proverbs,
and many other portions of the Bible.
Fanny understood and practiced what Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your words in my heart…” (NLT) Scripture guided her throughout her long and meaningful life. Another well-known song, I Am Thine O Lord, might be considered her biography. The first two verses of the hymn contain these words:
1) I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice, and
it told Thy love to me; but I long to rise in the arms of
faith, and be closer drawn to Thee.
2) Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord, by
the pow’r of grace divine; let my soul look up with a
steadfast hope, and my will be lost in Thine.
May we follow Fanny’s incredible example of passionately following God and, with his help, invest ourselves in improving the lives of those around us for his glory.
