Blessed Assurance by Fanny Crosby, 1873.

Verse 1:

Blessed 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.

Observe: This classic Christian hymn by Francis (Fanny) Crosby speaks of the assurance God gives to every one of his children through the indwelling of His Spirit.

In the present age, a time of both trial and blessing, we have the “foretaste of glory divine” on our tongues because we are the “purchase of God.” Paul writes,

(W)hen the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4–7, ESV).

Verse 2 describes the fruit of the indwelling Spirit as the delightful submission to Christ because of the ‘echoes,’ the constantly reverberating refrain, of God’s mercy and love. These echoes cause us to express love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, (and) self-control, which Paul describes as “fruits of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:23.

Fanny Crosby, blind from age 6, received her education at the New York Institution for the Blind and later taught English grammar, rhetoric, music, and history at the Institute. Of her blindness, she said, “If it had not been for my affliction, I might not have had a good education and certainly not so many fine memories.” She recognized the ‘echoes’ of mercy.

As we face the challenges in our lives, it’s helpful to remember the truth in verse 3.

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.

Perhaps King David embraced this truth in his trouble life when he wrote, He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. (Psalm 40:3a).

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.

Make this your story and song today.

Blessings, Pastor Don.