Knocking On Heaven’s Door - Fanny Crosby

1820–1915

Fanny Crosby was broke. That’s hard to believe, since she was rapidly becoming the most popular songwriter in America. She had already collaborated with some of the best-known composers in the country—sacred and secular—and she had earned some royalties on published lyrics. The problem was, she gave a lot of money away. Fanny was especially committed to the work of New York City rescue missions, which were fighting the scourge of alcoholism in some terrible neighborhoods.

As a result, she was desperately in need of five dollars (a substantial sum in 1875) to pay the rent on her small New York apartment, and her publishers weren’t coming through with an advance payment. She had to resort to . . . prayer.

Alone in her apartment, the blind poet knelt to ask God to provide for her needs.

She was just getting up from her knees when she heard a knock at the door. It was a man she didn’t know. She didn’t recognize his voice or his name. He simply gave her five dollars and left.

Thinking about this later, Fanny wrote, “I have no way of accounting for this, except to believe that God, in answer to my prayer, put it in the heart of this good man to bring the money to me. My first thought was, It is so wonderful the way the Lord leads me.” As you might expect, the Lord also led her to write song lyrics about it.

All the way my Savior leads me;

What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt his tender mercy,

Who through life has been my guide?

The lyrics go on to describe the “heavenly peace” and “divinest comfort” that come from knowing that “Jesus doeth all things well.”

So, what do you need from the Lord today? No, it’s not like PayPal, where you just type in the amount and God gives it. Think about what the songstress is saying: our Savior leads us. He provides us with everything we need to go in the direction he wants us to go.

I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.

Isaiah 48:17