June 6, 2005

Have faith in God –
All crowned with thorns;
Have faith in God –
Whom envy scorns;
Have faith in God –
His cross adorns.
Have faith, dear friend, in God.

Saved by Grace

Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915

    And I -- in righteousness I will set Your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with seeing Your likeness. Psalm 17:15.

    The hymn was called into being through a ser­mon preached by Dr. Howard Crosby who was a distant relative and dear friend of mine. He said that no Christian should fear death, for if each of us was faithful to the grace given us by Christ, the same grace that teaches us how to live would also teach us how to die. His remarks were afterward published in a newspaper, and they were read to me by Mr. Biglow. Not many hours after I heard them I began to write the hymn. ~ Fanny Crosby
    However, these words almost didn’t see light of day. They came to public notice by accident, during a conference Fanny attended at Northfield, Massachusetts. During the meeting, the great evangelist, Dwight Moody, asked if Fan­ny, like so many others, would give a personal testimony to the audience. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she almost declined, but finally got up to speak, and said:

There is one hymn I have written which has never been published. I call it my soul’s poem. Sometimes when I am troubled, I repeat it to myself, for it brings comfort to my heart.

    You can’t hide a light under a bowl!

Some day the silver cord will break,
And I no more as now shall sing;
But oh, the joy when I shall wake
Within the palace of the King!

Some day my earthly house will fall.
I cannot tell how soon ’twill be;
But this I know—my All in All
Has now a place in Heav’n for me.

Some day, when fades the golden sun
Beneath the rosy tinted west,
My blessèd Lord will say, “Well done!”
And I shall enter into rest.

Some day: till then I’ll watch and wait,
My lamp all trimmed and burning bright,
That when my Savior opens the gate,
My soul to Him may take its flight.

Chorus:
And I shall see Him face to face,
And tell the story—Saved by grace;
And I shall see Him face to face,
And tell the story—Saved by grace.

Have Faith in God by H.M.S. Richards, Used by Permission