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15 As for me, I will
behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy
likeness. (Psalm 17:15)
Here
is another hymn by the greatest of all American hymnists, Fanny Crosby. In
spite of my well-stocked library of hymnary, I could find no references to this
beautiful hymn. As in all of her hymns, Mrs. Crosby adds the strength of her
own testimony in the lyrics. Blind from infancy, Fanny learned to see the
unseen and hear the unspoken things of God. Her vision of God was enhanced by
her blindness to man and the world about her. Fanny always included in her
hymns a description of her personal submission and exaltation of the Lord and
His Holy Word. A line from one of her favorite poems reads:
I think that life is
not too long and therefore I determine,
That many will read
a song who will not read a sermon.
In keeping with that proposition, each of
Fanny’s hymns are sermons touched by the beautiful colors of God’s rainbow.
This hymn was written in 1894.
I
Shall Know Him, I Shall Know Him
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.
Refrain
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.
Oh, the soul
thrilling rapture when I view His blessèd face,
And the luster of His
kindly beaming eye;
How my full heart
will praise Him for the mercy, love and grace,
That prepare for me a
mansion in the sky.
Refrain
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
Savior first of all.
Refrain
Through the gates to
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
Savior first of all.
Refrain
Title
The title of this
hymn is worth noting. Every educator admits, repetition aids recall. This
is a salient principle of learning. The Master Educator – the Word of God –
frequently employs this principle. 9 Whom shall he
teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that
are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept must
be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line;
here a little, and there a little: 11 For with
stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12 To whom he
said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to
rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. 13 But the word
of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon
line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they
might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. (Isaiah 28:9-13)
And so the repetition of “I Shall Know Him.”
It is something peculiarly characteristic of Fanny Crosby. She did KNOW Him!
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. It is astonishing to my mind Fanny could SEE
the coming GLORY better than anyone I know though she was, in this life, blind.
She has phenomenal spiritual vision, but do not fail to consider her unusual
ability to hear and listen. “When . . . . I cross the swelling tide.”
Fanny had never witnessed the rolling of the tides of the sea, yet she could
see them clearly in her hearing the tide swell and break on the New England
coast as she meditated there – and she considered all to be the very Voice of
God in nature. When a child, my parents used to make outings to the mountain
streams of North Georgia and Tennessee. In those days, these streams were not
frequented by the crowds of tourist of today. As you walked along those
streams, you would know that you were approaching the white water rapids
downstream by the crashing sounds of the cascading waters. That is what Fanny
heard in the swelling tides ere they broke upon the rocks. She sees, with her
mind’s eye, the bright and glorious morning when her eyes will behold her
Redeemer without any impediment of vision. It is that face that Fanny
repeatedly longed to see in her letters and talks with others. That face of
Christ will be a smiling and welcoming face to such as Fanny who could never
have seen a smiling and welcoming face before.
Refrain
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. Yes, Fanny shall know Him by more ways than one. She will know
Him on sight for His grace and mercy; and she will know Him by the “print
of the nails in His hand.” Perhaps the formerly blind Fanny will
know Him better than anyone else on that glorious resurrection morning. At that
moment, the most deeply felt yearnings of poor, blind Fanny Crosby will be
realized.
Oh, the soul thrilling
rapture when I view His blessèd face, And the luster of His kindly beaming eye;
How my full heart will praise Him for the mercy, love and grace, That prepare
for me a mansion in the sky. It is obvious from this line that Fanny has
given much thought to the appearing Savior. An elderly Fanny Crosby died in
1915 blind and waning; but her resurrected and glorified body will see the
blessed face of her Lord. She will see the love beams of kindness glistening
from His eyes of mercy and grace. The praise of God for which Fanny lived and
wrote will not be diminished, but rather increased a hundred-fold, at the sight
of her Lord. His Mercy, Love, and Grace were the Anchor and Cable that drew her
to that union with Christ, and was the oil that burned in her heart in praise
that is now even more abundant. Even a godly Fanny Crosby needed preparation to
be able to receive such a glorious mansion as the Lord has prepared for her and
all who believe.
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
Savior first of all. Remember our long past separation from mothers, fathers,
brothers, sisters, and other loved ones by the Banks of Jordan Waters? We may
have cried aloud, or shed silent, warm tears at the parting. It would seem an
interminable time before our reunion on the far shores of the Jordan. But now,
as our curtain descends, and we close our eyes on that precious gift of life on
earth that was the grant of Heaven, there awaits the most wonderful of glorious
events. We shall see our loved ones again beyond Jordan’s stormy banks; but the
One that makes all of that possible will be the more glorious face to behold –
our Lord and Savior.
Through the gates to
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 Savior first of all. Those Gates of Splendor are never closed to the elect of God.
They swing wide open in welcome to those who have lived for Christ. There is a
Banquet planned which will require a proper attire – the White Robe of
Righteousness purchased by the life-blood of our dear Savior. 1 And I saw a
new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were
passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw
the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a
great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away. (Rev 21:1-4) Nonetheless, Fanny
longs to meet her Savior “first of all” as must we all who are bound for that
City in the Sky.
