Great Women of Faith: Fanny Crosby (1820-1915)

Written by Shelsea Becker

“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 Saviour all the day long.”

As I read the words of Blessed Assurance—and without missing a single note—my spirit begins to sing. I haven’t heard this hymn in ages, yet my heart knows it by memory. I’m instantly transported back to the sight of my grandmother sitting at her piano: playing, singing, abiding, praising, praying. Yamma, as I called her, was the spiritual backbone of our family—determined that her children and grandchildren would know Jesus. I remember her singing this song with conviction and confidence.

I can’t help but think Fanny Crosby must have felt that same depth of certainty when she wrote it in 1873. What kind of life shapes a woman who can write with such unwavering faith? At just six weeks old, Fanny lost her eyesight. Yet instead of bitterness, she offered praise. She once said, “It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation.”

“This is my story.”

Those four words carry ownership—and surrender. Fanny fully owned her story. Do we? How can we, in today’s world, walk with such confidence in our own stories and still give God praise for the very things we are walking through?

Her life beautifully embodied the biblical definition of faith found in Hebrews 11:1:

“Now faith is the substance (confidence) of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Fanny may not have seen physically, but she saw with a clarity that only faith can give. Her life demonstrated what it means to trust God beyond circumstances, beyond limitations, and beyond what the natural eye can perceive.

I am inspired by her ability to “see” differently. Fanny wrote, “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.”

What a stunning perspective.

It makes me ask: Can I view my hardships as the very invitation that draws me closer to my Savior? And if so, would I really choose the alternative?

Fanny Crosby wrote more than 8,000 hymns—sometimes six to eight in a single day. More than 150 years later, her words still comfort, convict, and call us to worship. Blessed Assurance remains a classic, timeless declaration that exalts the name of Jesus.

And her story reminds us to trust the Author of ours—with faith that sees what the natural eye never could.