Eyes To See The Truth Of God’s Word

Uplook – May 2010 – Grace & Truth Magazine

FANNY CROSBY – Eyes To See The Truth Of God’s Word

“The LORD opens the eyes of the blind.” – Psalm 146:8

Hymnologists estimate that Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) wrote over 8000 hymns during her lifetime. Two thousand were published by one publisher, but there is great difficulty identifying most of her hymns, because she used over 200 pen names!

While the vast majority of her hymns are unknown to us, God gifted her to write such inspiring hymns as “Blessed Assurance,” “I Am Thine, O Lord” and “To God Be The Glory” – as well as this lesser known one about God’s Word on the facing page. Her ability really stands out when we consider that she was blind almost from birth!

Most people would consider blindness a handicap, but Fanny actually saw it as a gift. She said God gave her blindness so that she might prove in her own life the title of one of her favorite hymns, “All the Way My Savior Leads Me.” A careful reading of her hymns reveals that she often referred to her spiritual sight with such lines as “I shall see Him” and “When Jesus I see” from two of her better known hymns, and “When Thy glory I see” from this hymn entitled, “Thy Word Is A Lamp.”

Fanny Crosby could have spent her 95 years being bitter over her blindness. Instead, she saw her handicap as God’s way of actually making it easier for her to write hymns that encourage others to open their eyes to see the truth of God’s Word and all the beauty and life-saving guidance it contains.

By Larry Ondrejack

Thy Word Is A Lamp“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” – Psalm 119:105

Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, O Lord,
Thy Word is a light to my way;
It shines in my soul like a star by night,
And comforts and cheers me by day.

O wonderful, wonderful Word,My treasure, my hope, and my stay;Each promise recorded delights my soul,And brightens each step of my way.Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, O Lord,
And, trusting in Thee as my all,
Whatever of evil may cross my path,
I never, no, never can fall. O wonderful, wonderful Word,My treasure, my hope, and my stay;Each promise recorded delights my soul,And brightens each step of my way.Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, O Lord,
And oh, when Thy glory I see,
For all the rich blessings its truth has brought,
The praises will I give unto Thee.O wonderful, wonderful Word,My treasure, my hope, and my stay;Each promise recorded delights my soul,And brightens each step of my way.— Fanny Crosby (1820-1915)