Description

Behold A Royal Army

For a moment, close your eyes and let your imagination run as you hear these powerful words sung,

Behold! A royal army,
With banner, sword, and shield,
Is marching forth to conquer
On life’s great battlefield.
Its ranks are filled with soldiers,
United, bold, and strong,
Who follow their Commander
And sing their joyful song:

(Chorus)
Victory, victory,
Thru him that redeemed us!
Victory, victory,
Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!
Victory, victory, victory,
Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!

And now the foe advancing,
That valiant host assails,
And yet they never falter;
Their courage never fails.
Their Leader calls, “Be faithful!”
They pass the word along;
They see his signal flashing
And shout their joyful song:
Oh, when the war is ended,
When strife and conflicts cease,
When all are safely gathered
Within the vale of peace,
Before the King eternal,
That vast and mighty throng
Shall praise his name forever,
And this shall be their song:

Let me tell you the story of the woman who wrote those words. Fanny Crosby was born, Frances Jane Crosby, on March 24, 1820, in the village of Brewster, New York. She was the only child of John and Mercy Crosby. Her father died when she was only six months-old and she was raised by her mother and maternal grandmother. From an early age, Fanny was taught to love the Holy Bible and grew up in a home of faith. She composed her first poem when she was only eight.

As a teenager she learned to play the piano, organ, harp, and guitar. In addition to music and writing, Fanny was a passionate political activist in her later years, even having the privilege of being the first woman to speak in the United States Senate.

In 1843, Fanny married Alexander Van Alstyne. Interestingly, Alexander insisted that she continue to use her maiden name in her writings. In 1859, the couple had a daughter who died in her sleep shortly after birth. The Van Alstyne’s followed a nomad’s life. They never owned a home, choosing instead to move often and rent wherever they did settle. One biographer said of her, she “had other priorities and gave away anything that was not necessary to their daily survival”

Notwithstanding all that she would accomplish in her literary life, and it was much, Fanny chose to think of herself as a rescue mission worker. She lived and worked in some of the poorest districts of New York City tending to the sick, the poor, and the struggling immigrant. They would know her as “Aunt Fanny.” And again, Fanny gave away all that she had to the support of the poor.

Through it all, Fanny wrote—she wrote patriotic poems, political poems, tributes, and most especially—hymns. It is said of her sacred writings, she was “the most prolific of all nineteenth-century American sacred song writers”.[71] By the end of her career she had written almost 9,000 hymns,[30] using scores of pen names assigned to her by publishers who wanted to disguise the proliferation of her compositions in their publications.[8][194] It is estimated that books containing her lyrics sold 100 million copies.” Her avowed goal by her hymns was to bring souls unto Christ.

It is worthy of note how she wrote sacred music. She said, “It may seem a little old-fashioned, always to begin one’s work with prayer, but I never undertake a hymn without first asking the good Lord to be my inspiration. Fanny would compose the words in her mind, sometimes as many as forty at once and then dictate them to a scribe to write them down. It is ironic that this gifted writer who shaped the 19th century in such meaningful ways had terrible penmanship. Her signature was so illegible she often just drew an ‘X’ and called witnesses.

Fanny has been described as “Queen of Gospel Song Writers” and as the “Mother of modern congregational singing in America” Before her death in 1915, Fanny changed the world.

We began with that stirring hymn “Behold A Royal Army”—so powerful, so moving, and so visual—written by a woman who totally blind. Fanny never saw such an army and never witnessed such a battle. She was blind from infancy. Thank the Lord for her gifts.

Sources:

Behold a Royal Army Text: Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915 Music: Adam Geibel, 1855-1933

There are numerous exhaustive treatments of Fanny Crosby’s life. Rather than cherry pick references from many, I have chosen to reference Wikipedia as the principal source, unless otherwise noted. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Crosby

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