DO YOU HAVE A STORY?

Dearly Beloved,
DO YOU HAVE A STORY?
“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:8-9 NIV).
Fanny Crosby was undoubtedly one of the most prolific Christian hymn writers in history. She had many popular inspiring hymns to her credit. Interestingly, she was blind for the most part of her life! In spite of her physical disability, she had a story to tell. She told the story in one of her popular hymns, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!” that she composed to a tune played by her dear friend, Phoebe Knapp.
To Fanny Crosby, Jesus Christ was a blessed assurance because she has the foretaste of glory divine! She knew that she was an heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of His Spirit, and washed in His blood. She perfectly submitted to the will of God for her life and she had perfect delight in it. In spite of her blindness, she had the visions of rapture that burst on her sight. In these visions, she saw angels descending and bringing echoes of mercy and whispers of love from above. In her perfect submission, she was at rest in all things. She was happy and blessed in her Saviour. She was filled with the Saviour’s goodness and lost in His love as she was watching and waiting, looking above to her Saviour. It was indeed her story and it turned out to become her song and the song of thousands of people who believed, and are still believing, this blessed assurance in Jesus Christ.
Fanny Crosby had a story. What is your story? In spite of what you are passing through presently, can you sing joyfully like this woman? She like Apostle Paul could boast in her weakness because she knew that God’s grace was sufficient for her and His power was made perfect in her weakness. Both of them could boast in their disabilities because they did not focus on their respective weaknesses, but on God who is greater than any disability or weakness.
“This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior, all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior, all the day long.” Do you have a story?
In His service,
Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).