Fanny Crosby, the noted hymn writer, said she never attempted to write a hymn without first kneeling in prayer. Given that she wrote about 8,000 songs, she was obviously a woman of prayer! Beloved hymns such as ‘Blessed Assurance’, ‘To God Be The Glory’, and ‘I Am Thine, O Lord’ were born from times of prayer. But like many creative people, she was often under pressure to meet deadlines. One time she tried to write lyrics for a tune composed by W.H. Doane. She couldn’t seem to find the words, but then she remembered she had forgotten to pray. As she rose from her knees, she dictated – as fast as her assistant could write – the words for the famous hymn, ‘Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross’. Another time she had run short of money and needed exactly five dollars for a particular purpose. There was no time to call upon her publishers, so she simply prayed for the money. As she ended her prayer, she began to pace back and forth in her room, trying to get into the mood to write. Just at that time, an admirer called upon her. The two chatted briefly, and in parting, the woman pressed something into her hand. It was a five-dollar bill! Fanny fell to her knees in a prayer of thanksgiving, and, upon rising, she wrote one of her most famous hymns, ‘All the Way My Saviour Leads Me’. The secret of Fanny Crosby’s success is not a ‘secret’. Before she attempted anything for God, she first sought God’s help. So, the word for today is – pray about it!

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.