I originally posted about this song on my previous blog. I’m gradually moving things over here and rewriting thoughts a bit. Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine is a wonderful song that speaks well to the hope that is within us. This hope that the first week of Advent speaks to. We have a hope that is also a surety. Let’s learn more shall we?
Lyrics
Blessèd assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Refrain
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Refrain
Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
Refrain
Author and History
This is noted by some as Fanny Crosby’s most popular song. She has some 8000 hymn texts to her name. Fanny started writing hymns as a young child. She was made blind by an eye infection and poor medical treatment as a six week old baby. This did not stop her from growing up to be a happy child. She attended the New York Institution for the Blind where she was encouraged in her poetic endeavors. She wrote many poems and her first published work was The Blind Girl and Other Poems. Britannica has written a nice piece about this prolific author.
According to Wikipedia, Ms. Crosby was visiting her friend Phoebe Knapp as they there having a pipe organ installed. The organ wasn’t finished yet so Ms. Knapp played a melody she had just completed. When she finished she asked Fanny “What do you think the tune says”? Crosby replied “blessed assurance, Jesus is mine”.
Hymntime mentioned an interesting story about men during the war and this song Blessed Assurance. She also wrote Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross.
Ponderings
Is it your story? To have that assurance of salvation and to be able to look forward to Christ’s return? Oh, to be able to have that assurance of saying Jesus is mine. Can you think of anything better than knowing Jesus’ mercy applied to yourself?
What really sticks out though are these words
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
Hope is such a wonderful thing isn’t it?
This is one of those hymns that is happy and beautiful and bright. It evokes childhood memories of sitting around a fire with our church family singing. I have always enjoyed this song.
it is a solidly good one isn’t it?