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Saved by Grace: The Hymn of Crosby and Moody · Traveler’s Tales

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  Aging saints often speak about heaven differently than the rest of us.
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  The older they grow, the more real eternity becomes.
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  The things of this world begin to lose their grip, and the promises of God shine brighter
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  than ever before.
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  God's Spirit fills every line of Fanny Crosby's beloved hymn, Saved by Grace.
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  These were not merely lyrics written for a congregation to sing.
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  They were the personal reflections of a woman preparing to meet her Savior, and longing
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  for the moment when faith would finally become sight.
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  This is Greg Dowdy, and you are listening to Traveler's Tales, brought to you by Enjoying
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  the Journey.
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  Today we step into the story behind one of the most hope-filled hymns ever written, a
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  song born from grace, sustained by faith, and fixed upon the promise of seeing Jesus
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  Christ face-to-face.
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  Imagine a blind woman in her later years, quietly slipping away from a crowded conference
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  into a small adjoining room.
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  While others talked and mingled, she sat alone, meditating on heaven, on Christ, and
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  on the grace that had carried her through every dark valley in life.
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  In less than an hour, she emerges with words that would one day comfort countless believers
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  around the world.
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  That woman was Fanny Crosby.
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  In the 1800s, three individuals influenced gospel music more than almost anyone else
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  – Dwight Moody, Iris Sankey, and Fanny Crosby.
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  Though blind from infancy, Crosby saw spiritual realities more clearly than many people with
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  perfect eyesight.
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  Her hymns were saturated with Scripture, hope, and confidence in Christ.
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  One day, music publisher L. H. Bigelow approached her with a request to write a hymn centered
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  on the grace of God.
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  Immediately, Fanny stepped into another room and began writing, and in a short time she
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  returned with these unforgettable words,
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  Someday the silver cord will break, and I no more as now shall sing, but oh the joy
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  when I shall wake within the palace of the King.
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  Those words were deeply personal to her.
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  In fact, the hymn was never intended for publication.
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  Fanny called it her soul's poem.
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  She tucked it away, using it only occasionally when speaking in meetings because it brought
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  such comfort to her own heart during difficult days.
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  Years later, while attending a conference in Northfield, Massachusetts, the great evangelist
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  D.L. Moody unexpectedly asked Fanny to give a testimony.
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  Reluctantly, she stood before the audience and said,
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  There is one hymn I have written which has never been published.
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  Sometimes when I am troubled, I repeat it to myself, for it brings comfort to my heart.
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  Then, for the very first time in public, she recited the words of Saved by Grace.
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  Unknown to Fanny, a newspaper reporter from London was present that evening.
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  He carried the poem back to England and published it without her knowledge.
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  Shortly afterward, the words were placed into the hands of composer George C. Stebbins,
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  who set them to music.
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  The hymn quickly spread across the world and became one of Moody's favorite songs.
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  But what makes this hymn so powerful is not merely its history.
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  It is the hope behind it.
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  If Fanny Crosby understood something, many believers forget.
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  This world is not our final home.
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  Though she faced blindness, hardship, and suffering, she lived with her eyes fixed
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  on eternity.
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  Notice how every verse points forward, someday, someday, someday.
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  Her confidence was not rooted in earthly comfort, but in the promise of seeing Jesus Christ
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  face to face.
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  What a challenge that is for us today.
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  We live in a world obsessed with the temporary.
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  People pour their lives into possessions that rust, careers that fade, pleasures that
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  disappoint, and achievements that will one day be forgotten.
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  Yet the child of God possesses something eternal.
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  Because of the grace of God, there is coming a day when faith will become sight.
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  Fanny Crosby often said, When I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my
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  sight will be that of my Savior.
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  Think about it.
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  A woman who had never seen a sunrise, never looked upon the face of a loved one, never
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  gazed upon the beauty of creation, lived with joyful anticipation because she knew the very
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  first face she would ever see would be the Lord Jesus.
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  That is the hope of every believer.
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  This hymn also reminds us that grace is not only what saves us, it is what sustains us.
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  Ephesians 2.8.9 declares, For by grace are you saved through faith.
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  From beginning to end, the Christian life is a testimony of grace.
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  We are saved by grace, strengthened by grace, carried by grace, and one day we will stand
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  in heaven because of God's grace alone.
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  And because that day is coming, we ought to live differently now.
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  Fanny wrote, Someday till then I'll watch and wait, my lamp all trimmed and burning
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  bright.
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  That's more than just poetic language.
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  That is a call to readiness.
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  The Christian life is not passive waiting, it's faithful preparation.
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  We are to live every day with eternity in view.
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  Our lamps ought to be burning brightly through holy living, faithful service, joyful worship,
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  and steadfast obedience.
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  One day the silver cord will break for every one of us.
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  Life is fragile.
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  Time is short.
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  But for the believer, death is not the end, it is the doorway into the presence of the
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  King.
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  And on that glorious day, every child of God will join Fanny Crosby in the greatest testimony
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  heaven has ever heard, saved by grace.
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  We're grateful for the research of Jerry Vargo and his permission to share his work.
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  It's our hope that these stories will be a help and encouragement to your Christian life.
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  For more Bible study resources and to find our full archive of episodes and devotional
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  content, visit us at ETJ.Bible.