Jan 23 2009
The Real Blind Leading The Supposed Sighted?
Fanny Crosby was a prolific songwriter. In fact, she penned over 8,000 hymns! Not bad for a woman who lost her sight at 6 weeks old. After even a brief perusal of her hymns, one must admit she may have been physically sightless but spiritually, she had 20/20 vision!
So often we fuss and fume and struggle against the situations God brings into our lives. We do not like the way things turn out. We want something other than what we have been given. We do no enjoy the way this experience or that makes us feel.
How many Christians do you know who can quote Psalm 23? How many have thought deeply about its implications? In other words, if God is our Shepherd and does what Psalm 23 says He is doing, what does this mean?
Quite simply it means God, as our caregiver and protector has committed Himself to leading and guiding us through whatever He puts in our path. In other words, He guides us down the path He has created for us to walk.
Fanny Crosby was asked if she wouldn’t like to have her sight back. She replied, “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.”
Wow, I do not think I would have responded in kind. Maybe my ’sight’ has interferred with my trust. On the other hand, this does not mean we are brainless beings, committed to accept whatever comes our way - in other words thoughtless, emotionless automans who do not respond because we have been programmed to accept ‘whatever’.
J.I. Packer made a wise observation on this point. He said, “God made us thinking beings, and He guides our minds as we think things out in His presence.” In other words, while the world may accuse Christians of tossing out their minds when they chose to exercise faith in God - this is truly not the case. However, we might benefit from throwing away some of our ’sight’. In other words, exercising our faith a bit more.
Back to our blind songwriter. Fanny Crosby learned through more than just her physical blindness. She, too, had to walk the road of faith in many areas of her life. In fact, one hymn she penned which so aptly deals with exercising our faith in face of unexplained challenges is, “All the way my Savior leads me”.
This hymn was penned after Fanny, who was desperately in need of some money, had her prayer answered. A gentleman came to her and gave her five dollars - the exact amount she needed. Her response, “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.” Then she penned her now-famous hymn.
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?
Heavenly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
