Lyrics: Fanny Crosby
Music: Robert Lowry
Theme: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19-20.
Here’s a beautiful, reflective piano arrangement by James Stevens:
This beloved hymn came to Fanny as a result of a prayer. Struggling financially, she desperately needed some money. As her usual custom, Fanny began to pray. A few minutes later, a gentleman offered her five dollars, the exact amount she needed. Later recalling the incident, she said, “I have no way of accounting for this except to believe that God put it into the heart of this good man to bring the money.†The poem she wrote afterward became “All The Way My Savior Leads Me.â€
Fanny Crosby knew about being led; she was blind all of her life from the age of six months when a doctor treated her eyes incorrectly and caused her total blindness. She certainly experienced her share of being led, both physically and spiritually speaking. It is reported that Fanny said about her blindness: “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. If I had a choice, I would still choose to remain blind. . . for when I die, the first face I will ever see will be the face of my blessed Saviour.”
All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through 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 doeth all things well;
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.
All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread;
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living Bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! A spring of joy I see.
All the way my Savior leads me
O the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages—
Jesus led me all the way.
Ms. Crosby wrote at least five of the hymns on this top 100 list. Two we have already talked about: this one and Tell Me the Story of Jesus. Can anyone guess the other three? It’s always possible I missed another one or two since I haven’t actually written the posts for all of the hymns on the list yet. Fanny Crosby wrote over 8000 hymns and poems. Amazing woman.
I’d like to read one of the books pictured above. Can anyone recommend one of them? The first one is Ms. Crosby’s own autobiography.
More about Fanny Crosby.
To top off this post, here’s a little bit different version by Rich Mullins:
Sources:
Gospel Hymn Stories: All the Way My Savior Leads Me.
Faith Hall of Fame: Frances Jane van Alstyne.
Two of the three upcoming Crosby songs are almost certainly Blessed assurance and To God be the glory, but there are several possibilities for the third.
Pass me not, O gentle Savior
Jesus, keep me near the cross
Safe in the arms of Jesus
I am thine, O Lord
Praise him! Praise him!
Rescue the perishing
Maybe there are more than three. Though we all know that Fanny wrote thousands of lyrics, unfortunately, only about a dozen of them are still widely used.
I read much of her autobiography when I was writing about her for her birthday on my blog, but I found the fairly recent Edith Blumhofer bio (HER HEART CAN SEE – much of it available on Google Books, so you can get a real taste) more useful as a beginning. Then it was interestng to go back and see how Fanny depicted (or left out) the events of her life.
If I had to guess the other three, I would say “To God be the glory”, “Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer”, and “Jesus, keep me near the cross”. But there are a couple of others that, depending on the private tastes of your voters, might have crowded out one or two of those. So my fourth and fifth guesses would be “Redeemed! how I love to proclaim it” and “Pass me not, O gentle Savior”. “A wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord” is my sixth guess. There are so many! One that I just discovered a week or so ago and that I think deserves much wider singing than it seems to have received, is “Conquering now, and still to conquer” (Victory through Grace), which I mentioned in a comment on your Hymn #101.
Oh my goodness, I don’t know how I managed not to think of Blessed Assurance. Of course I agree with C.W.S. on that.
I tried to read “Her Heart Can See” and found it dull, dull, dull. I was hoping for an inspiring story, but not so much. So I would NOT recommend it, but would still love to know more about this woman’s life. I might try her autobiography.
And I can’t believe I didn’t vote for To God Be the Glory. I KNOW that’s one of them, and I love that one.
Well, when I look for a biography, I want something objective, the same sort of book that would be published about any historical figure. I don’t need to be told how “inspiring” her life was, or what a good Christian woman she was, or the spiritual “angle” you get from many religious publishing houses that publish “biographies.” Obviously, there’s a market for those kinds of books, but they aren’t for everyone. Some of us prefer “dull” books that don’t have another agenda (and we don’t find them dull at all).
I was reading the latest issue of The Hymn yesterday and noticed a review of a book I must buy: Blessed Assurance: Hymns of Fanny J. Crosby, edited by ST Kimbrough, Jr, and Carlton R. Young, and published last year in Singapore. It apparently includes 26 of her hymns, some previously unpublished according to the review, and more than a dozen of them are set to new tunes from around the world. (I enjoy singing “Blessed Assurance” to a tune from Madagascar that I found in the Swahili Baptist hymnal Nyimbo za Imani Yetu; I look forward to more such joys!)
Leland aka Haruo
Another of her hymns that I’ll be surprised not to see in this top 100 set is Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it, though I have no guess as to whether you will lead with the traditional (Kirkpatrick) tune REDEEMED or the more recent ADA (which oddly always seems to be missing a verse, sort of the way At the Cross never has as many verses as Alas, and did my Savior bleed… I enjoy a rollicking round of Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, too, but I don’t expect it to make this list. (I’m the sort who has trouble limiting himself to a top thousand!)
I know I am behind on commenting on this post (I’ve been on vacation and am now just catching up) but I’ve got to add that I am reading “Her Heart Can See” right now and love it! Yes, its objective but, like C.W.S., I appreciate that. Edith L. Blumhofer presents a picture of the real woman, Fanny Crosby, in the context of a real period of history. In reading this book, I have a greater understanding for who Fanny Crosby was and how the time and circumstances that she lived in affected her and her writing. And I am learning more than I knew about the history of Protestantism in this country in the 19th century besides.
All Fanny’s hymns that I know are beautiful and inspiring. I have sung ‘All the way my Saviour leads me’ many times within the last two months. ‘Praise Him Praise Him’ also is wonderful. I don’t know her hymn that doesn’t inspire people in congregational worship or private devotion. She has being a blessing to us as a church.
Your blog caught my eye this morning because of the reference to Fanny Crosby’s hymns. Today is the 190th anniversary of her birth.
Some years ago, Homer Duncan did a survey of 42 common hymnals, listing the frequency with which songs appeared. Some 61 of Fanny’s songs were included in these books. Among those most often found were: All the Way My Saviour Leads Me; Blessed Assurance; Draw Me Nearer; Jesus Is Tenderly Calling; Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross; Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour; Praise Him, Praise Him; and Rescue the Perishing. And I would certainly add To God Be the Glory to that list, and perhaps Safe in the Arms of Jesus.
As to biographies, Bernard Ruffin’s is still available, called simply Fanny Crosby.
If you enjoy reading about our hymns and their authors, I invite you to check out my daily blog on the subject, Wordwise Hymns.