“Tell me the story of Jesus,” she must have asked her grandmother, sitting on her lap as a young child. Sightless eyes looking into the distance, she would imagine the Bible stories as she listened. “Tell me the most precious story!” And though she could not see it and read the words for herself, it was the sweetest she ever heard. Later on in life, she would write the famous hymn refrain,
Tell me the story of Jesus;
Write on my heart every word.
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
Born in 1820, Fanny Crosby was blinded at a young age from a poorly treated eye infection. She lived out walking by faith and not by sight, as she faithfully loved and served the Lord. She praised Him for the gift of blindness, saying, “It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.”
Crosby was raised in part by her grandmother Eunice, who reflected the godly womanhood and exemplified a legacy of faith like Timothy’s mother Eunice and grandmother Lois in 2 Timothy. At the age of eight, she began writing poetry. Not long after in her youth, she was encouraged to memorize Scripture.
The Crosby’s landlady, Mrs. Hawley, was vital in helping Fanny memorize large portions of Scripture. At the rate of approximately five chapters a week, she memorized over 400 chapters from the Pentateuch, the gospels, Proverbs, Psalms, and Song of Solomon.
These passages inevitably inspired and integrated themselves into her thousands of hymns written throughout her life.
In Exodus 33, Moses asks the LORD for favor in His sight and for His glory to be revealed, though no man could see the face of the LORD. So the LORD responded, “While My glory is passing by, I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.” Often writing of the security found in God, Crosby composed He Hideth My Soul:
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life in the depths of His love
And covers me there with His hand
And covers me there with His hand.
This theme of safety and comfort, paralleling threads woven throughout Psalms, appeared frequently in her hymns. Her hymn “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior”, co-composed with William Doane, found its inspiration not only in the Psalms but also in a prison near her home. As she spoke at a service for the prisoners, one cried out, “Good Lord! Do not pass me by!” This plea was combined with Psalm 73:25, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.”
Thou the Spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in Heav’n but Thee?
Savior, Savior, hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by.
At 15, with these Scriptures written on her heart, she attended the New York Institute for the Blind, where she remained as a student and then as faculty for many years.
Her literary career was launched when she was published in the New York Herald, followed by poems printed in a number of newspapers, journals, and anthologies. She began collaborating with composers on hymns, as well as some popular songs and ballads. Her lyrics formulated in her mind, where she stored and edited them until she could dictate them into writing. Impressive to many, her memory retained thousands of songs in addition to the hundreds of chapters of Scripture.
Those chapters that she intentionally wrote on her heart as a child were formative throughout her life, establishing the foundation for her powerful poetry that is still used in worship today. Other famous hymns by Fanny Crosby include “Blessed Assurance”, “Redeemed”, and “Praise Him! Praise Him!”.
Believers who sing these songs can be likewise encouraged to memorize Scripture, to write it on their hearts like the author of the lyrics. In doing so, they can have the original inspiration of Scripture come to mind when they sing Fanny Crosby’s hymns. In singing “Give Me Jesus”, perhaps Romans 11:33 will come to mind, “Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”, or Ephesians 3:18-19, “So that you… may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God!”
Take the world, but give me Jesus;
All its joys are but a name,
But His love abideth ever,
Thro’ eternal years the same.
O the height and depth of mercy!
O the length and breadth of love!
O the fullness of redemption,
Pledge of endless life above!
Written by NBB Alumna: Julia Cagasan
