My Saviour First Of All

A devotional from the hymn by Fanny J. Crosby

Text: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face…” — 1 Corinthians 13:12

Fanny J. Crosby spent almost her entire life without sight. Yet some of her most moving hymns speak of seeing: seeing heaven, seeing the light of home, and, above all, seeing Jesus Christ. In My Saviour First of All, she imagines her earthly work coming to an end and asks us to consider what will matter most when we reach the other side.

There will be much to rejoice over in heaven. But through every verse of this hymn, one longing returns: she wants to meet her Saviour first of all.

1. When my lifework is ended

The hymn opens at the close of a life. Crosby pictures crossing the swelling tide and being welcomed by her Redeemer.

That first phrase deserves our attention: when my lifework is ended. We each have only so many days in which to serve the Lord. Some work may be seen by many; much of it may be known only to Him. A tract handed to someone. A child taught the Scriptures. A prayer offered when nobody else was listening. A word spoken for Christ when it would have been easier to remain silent.

One day, all of that earthly work will be finished. What a comfort to know that the believer does not cross that final river alone. Paul wrote, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). At the end of our labour stands the Lord Himself.

Crosby had never seen the faces of those who loved her. But by faith she looked forward to the welcome of the One who had loved her and given Himself for her. Her confidence was in her Redeemer.

2. “I shall know Him”

The refrain makes a striking promise: “I shall know Him.” Crosby says she will know the Lord by the nail prints in His hand.

Think of that. The hands by which she would recognise Him were the hands wounded for her. Heaven’s joy is bound to the price that Jesus Christ paid to bring sinners there. The marks speak of His love and of a finished sacrifice.

When the risen Lord appeared to His disciples, He showed them His hands and His side. “Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord” (John 20:20, KJB). Crosby’s hymn carries that gladness forward. She was waiting for the day when she, too, would see Him.

Perhaps you feel that your faith is weak because you cannot see what lies ahead. Scripture tells us, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). For now we trust His word. One day faith will give way to sight, and we shall find that the Saviour who kept us through this life is the very One who welcomes us into His presence.

3. The face she longed to see

In the second verse, Crosby writes of beholding the Saviour’s face and praising Him for His “mercy, love and grace.” Those words are especially tender from a woman who had been blind since infancy.

An account of her life records that, when someone expressed sorrow over her blindness, she spoke of the hope that the first face to gladden her sight in heaven would be the face of her Saviour. Whether she spoke of that hope or sang of it, her heart was fixed on the same Person.

Crosby did not need earthly sight to know Christ’s care. She had known His mercy here. She had depended on His grace here. Yet she looked forward to seeing the One she already knew by faith.

John wrote, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

What a promise for every child of God. We may carry weakness, grief, and unanswered questions today. We may not see how the Lord is working in every circumstance. But we have His word: we shall see Him as He is.

4. “My Saviour first of all”

Crosby then remembers the dear ones in glory. Parting from those we love is painful, and the hope of reunion is precious. She also sings of the city where tears will fall no more. Scripture gives us reason to rejoice in that promise: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4).

But even as she thinks of those she will see and the home she will enter, she returns to her deepest desire: “I long to meet my Savior first of all.”

That is the searching thought at the heart of this hymn. We can become so occupied with the gifts of heaven that we give little thought to the Giver. Crosby directs our hearts to Jesus. The loved ones, the welcome, the end of sorrow—all are wonderful. Yet the Saviour who redeemed us is greater still.

Paul understood that longing. Though he had work to do for the churches, he spoke of “a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better” (Philippians 1:23, KJB). With Christ—that is the believer’s greatest hope.

Do you know Him now?

Crosby could sing, “I shall know Him,” because she knew whom she had trusted. Seeing Christ in heaven is not a hope we earn by a lifetime of good works. Salvation is God’s gift of grace through faith. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).

The nail prints in the hymn point us back to the cross. Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again. Have you trusted Him as your Saviour? And if you belong to Him, are you living today with the joy of seeing Him before you?

Fanny Crosby’s earthly eyes could not behold the faces around her. Yet she filled her hymns with the hope of seeing her Lord. As we sing My Saviour First of All, may we hear more than a beautiful song about heaven. May it stir us to love the Saviour now, serve Him while our lifework remains, and look forward to the day we shall see Him face to face.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me and giving Yourself for me. Help me to be faithful in the work You have given me today. Keep my heart fixed upon You through every joy and sorrow, until faith becomes sight and I see You face to face. Amen.