The blind woman whose music for God reached millions
Fanny Crosby was one of the most prolific Christian song writers ever, composing and/or writing over 8000 hymns and gospels songs during her lifetime, including her most well-known ones like: “Blessed Assurance”, “Praise Him, Praise Him”, “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior”, “Safe in the arms of Jesus”, “All the way my Savior leads me”, and “To God Be The Glory”. Moreover, she did all this being blind!
Six weeks after her birth in 1820, a botched treatment for an eye infection left her permanently blind. Yet, this stimulated other gifts, such as her special memory. As a child she memorized the entire Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Bible), the four Gospels, all of Proverbs, and large sections of other Biblical books. She took seriously the words of Psalm 1:1-2, “Blessed is the one … whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” She memorized vast portions of the Bible during her life, and whenever she wanted to “read” the Bible, she would typically recall a portion of Scripture she had memorized and recite it verbatim. Towards the end of her long life she said, “This Holy Book has nurtured [me] my entire life.”
Fanny studied at the New York Institution for the blind from ages 15-23, during which she also learned to play the piano, organ, harp, and guitar. The songs she wrote were born out of her experiences (joys and trials) while expressing the eternal truths of Scripture. At the age of 38 she got married to Alexander van Alstyne Jr. A few years later, in 1859, she gave birth to a daughter, named Frances, who tragically and suddenly died shortly after birth. Some think that Fanny’s hymn “Safe in the arms of Jesus” was inspired by her death.
One day she didn’t have enough money to pay her rent. After committing the matter to God in prayer, a stranger knocked at her door and gave her some money. When she counted it, it was the exact amount she needed to pay her rent! That night she wrote the entire hymn “All the way my Savior leads me” which begins like this: “All the way my Savior leads me. What have I to ask beside? Can I doubt his tender mercy, Who thru’ life has been my Guide? Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort, Here by faith in him to dwell! For I know, whate’er befall me, Jesus fashions all things well.”
Fanny viewed her blindness as something God fashioned for her, so as to equip her for the musical work she did. She said in reflection, “[My blindness] is the best thing that could have happened to me” and “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.”
One of her most famous hymns, “Blessed Assurance” begins with these words:
“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.
This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.”
Fanny didn’t have an easy life. She lost a child, her marriage fell apart, and she endured daily the challenges of blindness, but Fanny did faithfully praise her Lord and Savior, Jesus, as reflected in her music. She truly lived out the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
When D.L. Moody and Ira Sankey purposed to sing many of Fanny’s hymns at their crusades, Fanny’s music reached a wider audience. In addition, the inclusion of many of her songs to hymnals used by churches throughout the 20th century, allowed her music to reach millions more.
During the course of her life she was often asked about her blindness and what it was like to live with it. One day she said these famous words: “When I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.” Fanny got her wish on February 12, 1915, when she went to her heavenly home.
I love this modern twist on “Blessed Assurance” sung by Hannah Kerr and the team at Brentwood Baptist Church.
Works Cited
Fettke, Tom. Ed. The Hymnal for Worship & Celebration, Word Music, 345.
Hawn, Michael, “History of Hymns: Blessed Assurance”. Accessed online Jan.26, 2026:
Morgan, Robert J. Then Sings My Soul, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003, p.195
Wikipedia. Accessed online Jan.26, 2026: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Crosby
