We recently took our three younger grandchildren to the Oley Fair. They had never been to this type of fair, and yes, we had a great time! Rides, animals, food, treats, and just plain wholesome fun was had. The location of the fair was perfect for one of my grands! Why? Because the Oley Fire Station is pretty much on the grounds. Our 7-year-old amazingly intelligent grandson is fixated on sirens, not just any sirens, but emergency ones. Especially air-raid sirens. And this fire station had one. He knew the look and what sound it makes. He sees these things everywhere he looks. All over! It’s quite fascinating, to say the least. Like I said, we had a most enjoyable time, however, our grandson came home with a story to tell. You see while having one last funnel cake snack, we heard the air-raid siren go off. Yes! It was loud, and all sirens went blaring! You would have thought he won a grand prize of the day! He was one happy fairgoer! We were all happy because he was happy! He wouldn’t stop talking about it! So much so that we had to google the specific model of this air raid siren that caused him such joy!
As we were leaving the fair, he asked that none of us tell his parents about it because, after all, it was his story to tell! And, yes, yes, it was. So, we made our promise we wouldn’t say a thing. But then it meant that his two sisters needed a story to tell. We went through the day and all we did at the fair, and by the end of the conversation, they all had a story to share with their parents when they returned home.
I got thinking about this sweet time and how excited the kids were to tell a story—their story—a story of a good time. We hope they will remember it. I know I will.
You and I have a story as well. We all do. There isn’t anyone on the face of this earth that doesn’t have one. In fact, you may have many stories. Some folks are really good at telling a story. They keep us captivated by the details, using facial expressions and hand gestures. Those are the stories we will likely remember.
There is a story about a blind woman who told her story repeatedly through poetry and song. In fact, 6000 times over and then some. Her name was Francis Crosby. Many of you will likely remember the hymn written by Fanny Crosby. It’s called Blessed Assurance. Many artists have ministered this song over the years. In fact, the group Cain does a great job with it!
The first verse goes like this:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of Glory divine.
Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of his Spirit, washed in His blood.
Chorus: 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.
Fanny was blind from 6 weeks of age, but that didn’t stop her mother (her father passed when Fanny was 6 months old) and grandmother from raising her to be educated and to know Jesus as her Savior. She was very successful writing songs and poetry in her journey. Later, when asked if she was unhappy about her blindness, she answered with the statement below. Does it sound like she is Praising her Savior?
“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 had been offered to me tomorrow, I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.”
Verse 2 says:
Perfect submission, perfect delight. Visions of rapture now burst on my sight.
Angels descending, bring from above. Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Wait, Fanny couldn’t see. However, she wrote about visions of angels and hearing mercy and love. She didn’t let her physical lack of sight keep her from seeing in the spiritual realm. Do you think she had times of discouragement? She wouldn’t be human if she didn’t. We can’t see what God is doing so much of the time, but his unending love and mercy, which are new every day, should keep us going.
And the last verse:
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.
It does seem to me Ms. Crosby had contentment. Rest knowing her Savior was returning someday for her. She was filled with blessing and goodness for no other reason than this, her eternal destiny. Yes, she would see again, but Fanny never lost sight of who gave her spiritual eyes to be able to tell her story.
You may not be blind. And you may not be a songwriter or even like poetry. But you do have a story God has given for just you. What if we imagined being physically blind and asking God to only show us with our spiritual being the things around us? The people that should be part of our story. Or the places we should go to as part of our story. Maybe the sounds we hear. The lies from the enemy, the way we are treated, or the chaos in the world today.
Psalm 37:3-7a:
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.
In Fanny Crosby’s statement from above, she stated if sight had been offered to her, she would not have taken it for fear she would lose sight spiritually. That’s quite the statement, for sure! She knew her Savior, and she knew the story God had given to her. It’s only Fanny’s story to tell. I believe the scripture above, which is most likely familiar to many of you reading this, is a good outline for what our story can be. I like the second line about taking delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. My grandson got the desire of his heart last weekend in the form of a blaring siren! He saw it with his eyes, but it was when he heard it that it made the greatest impact on his young life. Do we trust the things that we see around us and what is happening or not happening, or do we take delight and commit everything to the Lord and wait? God’s promise to give us a safe place to dwell in Him is what will give us blessed assurance.
So, our grandchildren went running with great delight to tell each of their stories to Mom and Dad. I’m sure there were many “wows” and “Oh my’s”. And as you share your stories and wait for answers and endings, “praise your Savior all the daylong”. If you haven’t committed to Jesus being your Savior, please reach out to me or any other member of our staff or a friend. We would love for that to be part of your story!
Be Blessed,
Pastor Brinda VanLeuven
Attached is the song by Fanny Crosby sung by Cain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sgujo7yDBw
