Francis (Fanny) Jane Crosby was born in 1820 in New York. Two months after her birth, a man claiming to be a doctor applied a treatment to her eyes to treat an unrelated illness. While she was cured of the illness, the treatment left her blind. Soon after, her father passed away and her mother was forced to find work to support the family. As a result, Fanny was raised by her grandmother, a devout woman of God.
As a child, Fanny Crosby spent much of her time memorizing the Word of God and engrossed in poetry. At the age of 15, she was enrolled in the New York Institute for the Blind. She spent a total of 23 years there - 12 years as a student and 11 years as a teacher. At age 23, she was addressing Congress and becoming friends with presidents. She was writing poetry and songs left and right.
In 1858, another student of the Institute, Alexander van Alstine, married Fanny Crosby. He was considered one of the best organists in New York. He wrote the music to many of her hymns. Many musicians came to her for lyrics of which she obliged. She was contracted to submit three hymns a week to her publisher but often ended up writing six or seven per day. Her songs were very popular and became even more so after Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey used them during their crusades. While she excelled in every hymn writing form, she preferred to write simple verses that could be used for evangelism. She wrote until her death, a month before her 95th birthday. During her lifetime, Fanny Crosby wrote more than 9,000 hymns.
Fanny Crosby did not allow her disability to slow her down. She allowed God to use it for His glory. She wrote the following regarding her blindness:
“It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation. 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 have been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.”
Fanny Crosby’s story is proof that God can use anyone regardless of race, gender, disability, or any other circumstance to fulfill His will.
Some of Fanny Crosby’s more well-known hymns include: