Daily Devotional

“Now these are the last words of David. Thus says David the son of Jesse; thus says the man raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Samuel 23:1). 

Frances Jane van Alstyne was born March 24, 1820, and only a short time later she became blind. But as she grew into adulthood, she praised God for her handicap and claimed it helped her memorize  large passages of Scripture and focus on hymns that strengthened her spiritual walk. She later attended a school for the blind and learned to play several musical instruments. 

We know Frances today as Fanny Crosby, the most prolific hymn writer in history, having composed more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs. Called the “Queen of Gospel Song Writers,” some of her best-known hymns are “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour,” “Blessed Assurance,” and “To God Be the Glory.” 

The most prolific hymn writer in Scripture is David. He composed a large majority of the Psalms, which became ancient Israel’s hymnal for worship. David was a gifted composer. Many of his most loved works were born out of adversity. Psalm 51 was written after his sin with Bathsheba, and Psalm 121 was composed when he fled from Saul into the wilderness. 

Not only as a fugitive did David write music and sing. The “sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Samuel 23:1) spent his early years as a shepherd in the lonely hills around Bethlehem, where he communed with God. The green valleys, the distant mountains, and the sheep under his care gave him themes for expressing with harp and voice his trust in the Creator. 

The Bible records David’s final poetic words: “He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of the earth, by clear shining after rain” (2 Samuel 23:3, 4). What a fitting description of Israel’s greatest ruler. 

Heavenly Father, may my voice praise You each day for all the glorious works of Your hands.