Growing up in a small rural church in Illinois, I remember the pianist sitting at the old upright piano playing “I am Thine, O Lord.” It was a congregational favorite. As a child, I memorized the words, but it wasn't until I was an adult that I came to appreciate the deep meaning of the hymn.
As you and I sing stanzas and the chorus of “I Am Thine, O Lord,” we need to remember that God wants us to draw nearer to Him. One of my favorite passages in Scripture is James 4:8 (NKJV): “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” What a beautiful promise! This is probably why some publishers chose the refrain, “Draw Me Nearer,” for the title of this hymn.
Who Wrote “I am Thine, O Lord?”
When I think about Fanny J. Crosby, I can't help but marvel at such an extraordinary woman. She is known as America's Hymn Queen and “Mother of Congregational Singing in America,” writing over 8,000 hymns. Publishers thought it was wise for her to use pseudonyms. They wanted the public to believe they published several writers, not just Fanny. She used Mrs. Yan Alstyne, Grace J. Frances, Lizzie Edwards, and Leah Carlton. These are only a few of her names.
Frances Jane van Alstyne (Fanny J. Crosby) was born on March 24, 1820, to John and Mercy Crosby in Southeast New York. At six weeks old, Fanny was treated for an eye infection, which left her blind. In November of that year, her father passed away.
Along with her mother Eunice Paddock Crosby, Mercy Crosby took on the full responsibility of raising the young child. Mercy worked during the day as a maid while grandmother Eunice provided care for the child, which included reading the classics and challenging Fanny to memorize Scripture from a young age.
Fanny began attending the New York Institution of the Blind at age 15. She learned to sing and play the piano, organ, guitar, and harp there. At age 27, she became a teacher at the institute, teaching grammar, speech, and American History classes. In 1858, she married a former student, Alexander Van Alstine. They only had one child, a daughter, who passed away while only an infant.
Despite the hardships she faced in life, Fanny J. Crosby became known as a poet, lyrist, composer, and mission worker. She submitted her work to William B. Bradbury, owner of a publishing company. He hired her to write, and it is said they composed several hymns a day. Other composers who set her hymns to music were:
- Phoebe Palmer Knapp – “Blessed Assurance”
- Robert Wadsworth Lowry – “All the Way My Savior Leads Me”
- Silas J. Vail – “Close to Thee”
- George C. Stebbins – “Jesus is Tenderly Calling You Home”
- John R. Sweney – “My Savior First of All” and “Tell Me the Story of Jesus”
- Chester G. Allen – “Praise Him, Praise Him”
- William J. Kirkpatrick – “Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It”
- Sylvester Main, publisher, opened the door for Fanny to write for Ira Sankey, soloist for Dwight L. Moody
Now, let’s take a moment to focus on how the hymn “I Am Thine O Lord” was written. In the book Ira D. Sankey, My Life and the Story of the Gospel Hymns, the author says that Fanny was visiting the home of W.H. Doane, a composer, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Their conversation focused on the nearness of God. Sankey wrote, “The subject so impressed the well-known hymnwriter, that before retiring she had written the words to this hymn, which has become one of the most useful she has ever written. The music by Mr. Doane so well fitted the words that the hymn has become a special favorite wherever the Gospel Hymns are known.”
As you study her life, you realize that one of the things that made Crosby extraordinary was her phenomenal memory. She memorized the books that comprise the Pentateuch, the four Gospels, a good number of the Psalms, all the Proverbs, and other portions of the Bible. Her knowledge of Scripture answers the question of how she could write so profusely; she drew from the deep well of the Scriptures and her relationship to Jesus Christ. Is it any wonder that she said, “I feel a hundred hymns in my head! The Lord has given me purpose in my life.”
In addition to her prolific career as a writer, Crosby also worked in Christian rescue missions. She shared the Gospel message wherever she went, witnessing personally and through her hymns. Fanny Crosby met presidents and testified before a joint session of Congress. She passed away in 1915 at the age of 94.
What are the Lyrics to “I Am Thine, O Lord”?
1) I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.2) Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine. [Refrain]3) Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God,
I commune as friend with friend! [Refrain]4) There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee. [Refrain]
Pat Boone singing, I Am Thine, O Lord.
What is the Biblical Context of “I Am Thine, O Lord?”
In Then Sings My Soul, 150 of the World's Greatest Hymn Stories, Book 2, author Robert J. Morgan wrote, “I Am Thine, O Lord,” was first published in 1875 in the little hidden treasure of hymns called Brightest and Best. Underneath the hymn was this Scripture quotation: “Let us draw near with a true heart” (Heb. 10:22). The verse ends with “in full assurance of faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
An important thing to note regarding this hymn is that it is written in the first person. When you take a closer look at the lyrics you will notice how often the first person pronouns of I, me, and my are used. The hymn is about the individual, not another person or a group, drawing nearer to God, which speaks to a personal relationship with Christ.
In the first stanza, there is a declaration as to who the writer belongs to. “I am Thine, O Lord,” shows salvation found only through Jesus (John 14:6). How do we hear His voice? We do so when saturating our minds and hearts with the Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We know His love because He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for our sins (John 3:16). Do you long to rise in the arms of faith? We do so by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17).
Next is the stanza about grace. What does it mean to consecrate oneself to the Lord’s service? The word consecrate means to be set apart. We can’t do this on our own, only by the power of God’s divine grace (Ephesians. 2:8-9). We have steadfast hope found in Christ (Romans 8:24-25). There is the surrender; my will be lost in Thine (Matthew 26:39, 42).
The thirty words written for the third verse are all about prayer. Because of God’s work on the Cross, we can go boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:15-16). Note the posture, physically and spiritually—a humble heart. And isn’t it wonderful that as we commune with God, we can do so as a “friend with friend?”
The final stanza is about a believer’s heavenly home. We will never fully comprehend the enormity of God’s love until we are in His Presence. “Depths of love, heights of joy,” and peace comes when we rest in Him (Ephesians 3:18, 1 Peter 1:3-4).
In the beautiful words of the chorus Crosby takes us back to the cross because everything: faith, grace, prayer, and heaven, is available because of Jesus's sacrifice on the cross, shedding His blood (Hebrews 10:1-18).
Can you say with Fanny Crosby, “I am Thine, O Lord,” and is your prayer, “Draw Me Nearer?”
For Further Reading
10 Things You Need to Know About Fanny Crosby
Fanny Crosby Blind Hymnwriter
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain
Laura Lee Leathers is a writer and speaker. Imagine Lois Lane, over sixty-five, and living on a farm. Her metropolis is the area of freelance writing. Her primary love interest is the Word of God. She digs for information, interviews fascinating people, offers a cup of biblical hospitalit-tea, encourages, and helps others with the ‘how-to’s’ of life. To sign up for her newsletter, connect with her at http://lauraleeleathers.com - - - “Helping You Flourish in Faith & Finish Well by His Word”
