Most of us have appreciated many of the over 8,000 hymns that were written by the blind author Fanny Crosby. Near the end of the nineteenth century, Fanny was visiting the Lake Chautauqua Institute, in Western New York State. In those days this was a place for Christian fellowship, great preaching, and singing of wonderful hymns. It was here that she met John R. Sweney. After a busy day at the camp meeting, both were taking a rest on the front porch of the grand hotel when John asked an interesting question of Fanny. "Fanny," he asked, "do you think we'll recognize our friends in heaven?" Initially her response was positive. She then added, "John, that's not what you really want to know. You wonder how an old lady who has been blind all her life could even recognize one person, let alone her Lord and Savior. Well I've given it a lot of thought and I don't think I'll have a problem. But if I do, when I get to heaven, I'm going to look around and when I see the one who I think is my Savior, I'm going to walk up to Him and say, 'May I see your hands?' When I see the nail prints in the hands of my Savior, then I'll know I've found my Jesus." "Oh Fanny," John said, "that would make a great song." "No thank you," she replied. "I'm tired, I'm going to bed". Well the next morning, bright and early, Fanny met John for breakfast and before they went their separate ways, she dictated the words of this great hymn. It has always been one of my favorite hymns because it is about heaven and the hope of each Christian should be to see our Lord, face to face. What a wonderful day that will be!(1) When my life work is ended, and I cross the swelling tide,
When the bright and glorious morning I shall see
I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side,
And His smile will be the first to welcome me.
Chorus:
I shall know Him, I shall know Him
And redeemed by His side, I shall stand.
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.
(2) Oh, the soul thrilling rapture when I view His blessed face
And the luster of His kindly beaming eye;
How my full heart will praise Him for the mercy, love, and grace
That prepared for me a mansion in the sky.
Chorus"
I shall know Him, I shall know Him
And redeemed by His side, I shall stand.
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.
(3) Oh, the dear ones in glory, how they beckon me to come,
And our parting at the river I recall;
To the sweet vales of Eden they will sing my welcome home,
But I long to meet my Saviour first of all.
Chorus:
I shall know Him, I shall know Him
And redeemed by His side, I shall stand.
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.
(4) Thro' the gates of the city in a robe of spotless white,
He will lead me where no tears will ever fall;
In the glad song of ages I shall mingle with delight,
But I long to meet my Saviour first of all.
Chorus:
I shall know Him, I shall know Him
And redeemed by His side, I shall stand.
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.
10 comments:
Thank you for posting a blog about Hymns. Sometimes, when i can't pray for despair or saddnes or maybe even sin, I begin to sing. I find that Hymns have a soothing ointment for my heart. After I sang the hymn, using each verse as a prayer or praise, I find that I can begin to pray and read His word with peace and even joy. Today, I looked for the Song, I shall know Him, and found this page. You have been a blessing to me Thank you.
Barbie Shadrick
I am so impressed by this song for the hope and encouragement it provides. We have a dear friend who without a miracle his life will end and he will be there in heaven. The visual portrayed in "I shall know him provides comfort, confidence, and hope to the believer. The great question to ponder is will He know you? Have you made your peace with him. Decide today to accept Jesus as your lord and savior. Ask him to forgive your sins that separate us from God and accept his forgiveness. Then as the song states, when this life has ended and we reach the other side...WE SHALL KNOW HIM. Thanks for the encouragement of this HYMN today .
Fanny J. Crosby has left a lasting impression on my heart.. I learned of her, her
life story by singing this wonderful song she wrote over night. As the words come
out of my mouth I feel her love for her Lord and Savior.. Her presence seems so
close at the time of singing this song. It's God's marvelous love her has for his
children and the struggles a lot of us go through while her on this earth.
Signed Art Peterson
I grew up listening to My Mom singing this song in her own Pentecostal way. She’s passed on now and I find myself recalling singing it too. It stirs my soul.
Four of us guys are doing a version of this song in the morning at 8:45 and 10 AM at Triangle Grace Church in Durham NC. Pray that God will touch hearts through this song.
Woow! I already love it. What number is this hymn in the Adventist hymnal?
Fanny Crosby could not know the Savior by sight. She had no sight memory. But, she had wonderful memories of a loving grandmother who held her hand. The story goes that her grandmother took Fanny on walks, describing what the grandmother was seeing. Imagine that the grandmother’s excitement, love, even anxiety accompanied a robust flourish of words growing Fanny’s vocabulary and non-visual perceptual abilities and skill. Thus, when Fanny says, “I shall know Him by the nail prints in His hands,” she does not mean that she will not see the nail prints with her eyes but will recognize Jesus by what she senses as Jesus offers His hands to her, patiently holding her hands for as long as she might wish. She then will sense the love, devotion, and enormity of Jesus’ sacrifice for her and for others. Imagine this to be the equivalent of Isaiah seeing God’s train fill the temple. For a moment, imagine that you cannot recognize a scar by what you see but by vastly enhanced tactile ability to sense emotion that is at least as revealing as watching a person’s face portray love in nonverbal ways. Imagine, then, that Fanny had a revelation that in heaven, we will know Jesus because “see Him as He is” means we will “deeply understand all facets of Jesus and his love, devotion, and what He has done for each of us.” Do not let the word “see” primarily mean what your eyes see but what your entire being perceives. Imagine for a moment that your entire being, once you get to heaven, will have intimate connection to the love of Christ. Is that not what Fanny was communicating?
This was one of my mom’s favorite hymns. It gives me such peace and assurance because she had that confidence, to one day see our wonderful Jesus. I long to see both of them!
God bless you richly for this insight into the story behind the song.
When singing this song, my heart feels peace, my mind imagines heaven on that day I shall meet my Redeemer face to face. It a hymn of peace and joy. Glory to God and Praises be His name for this song.
Post a Comment