I had written a note in my bible some time ago alongside a song (psalm). The note was to remind me of the connection between stories & songs. Yesterday I was again reminded of the deep connection between stories & songs.

Fanny Crosby wrote over 8,000 hymns, with over 100 million copies printed. 

Yesterday I stood and sang as I have many times before:

This is my story

This is my song

Praising My Saviour

All the day long.

I had forgotten that she combined story and song in the chorus of this great hymn.

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.

Fanny Crosby lobbied government, nursed the sick in a cholera outbreak, performed in The White House, and was a friend of President Cleveland. I could go on as hers was a very full life.

Yet Fanny Crosby was blind. 

She had a story about her saviour and it released her song. She said near her death that had she not been blind she may have been too distracted by the things around her to write such songs. 

The lyrics written in blindness of Blessed Assurance include: Watching and waiting, looking above. 

She would later say that the first face she will see upon arriving in heaven will be Jesus. What a great story, what a great song.

As I consider the bible I am conscious of the connection between songs & stories.

The song of Moses after crossing the Red Sea.

The many songs of David.

Mary’s song. (The Magnificat)

Zechariah’s song.

All were written in response to the remarkable way in which God had placed them in the great story of life, faith, and history.

Very few of us I know will write a song which will be sung like Fanny Crosby’s were, but we are not writing for that reason. I want to encourage you in your destiny discovery journey to ‘Believe your story’, write a song, and release the authority which your story has produced in you.

On occasional ‘bad’ days in my life, doubting myself, or what God has said about my future, the best thing I know to do is to remember my story. It always encourages me and release phrases:

He’s never let me down before and he’s not about to start now.

He wastes nothing, he gets me ready.

Perhaps like mine it will be phrases, declarations, more poetry than song, more prose than poetry, the form doesn’t matter as much as believing your story.

Yes I did once sing some of my story as a Rapp, it will probably not be repeated, but I’ve never forgotten the first few lines.

1973, I got down on my knees

And said, do as you please.

Believe your story – Love your story – Trust your story.