God Be The Glory!

By now you may think I'm a hymn nut. I'm not! But I have sweet small-child memories of growing up in a musty, old baptist church with fond memories of my Grandma... and for some reason, I can't get rid of these hymns in my mind! But they are beautiful. Some of them are rich in theology; some are a bit off but still well regarded. (Can you name a few hymns that purport a doctrine or theology you disagree with?)

Anyways, as I was writing yesterday's post this hymn came in my mind. To God be the Glory! Written in the 1800s by a woman named Fanny Crosby It's said that she wrote 8,000 hymns! That's incredible! But more incredible (to me) is he story. She's blind because of a treatment given as an infant that left her permanently blind. When she was around a year old, her father died and she was raised by her mother and grandmother. Her caregivers, determined that Fanny be self sufficient, had her memorize long passages of scripture (some accounts say the entire Bible) to exercise her mind.

According to Wickipedia, she wrote (or rather, dictated) these words when she was 8 years old:

Oh what a happy soul I am,
Although I cannot see;
I am resolved that in this world
Contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy,
That other people don't;
To weep and sigh because I'm blind,
I cannot, and I won't."

She's also quoted to be thankful for her blindness, counting it a blessing and a gift since it enabled her to see the beauty of God rather than distracted by other earthly beauty. She also is credited of saying, " when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!"

Other familiar (to me) hymns written by her include: Blessed Assurance, Near the Cross, Safe in the Arms of Jesus, among many others.

To God Be The Glory!

To God be the glory, great things He has done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He has done.

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
(Refrain)

Great things He has taught us, great things He has done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.
(Refrain)