I am Thine, O Lord

I am Thine, O Lord. Fanny Crosby* (1820-1915). Written in 1874 at the home of William Howard Doane* in Cincinnati, Ohio. After a conversation one evening, Crosby recited the words to Doane the following morning. Doane wrote them down, and composed the tune to fit them. The hymn was published in Brightest and Best (1875), one of many hymnals for Sunday schools edited by Robert Lowry* and Doane, with a reference to Hebrews 10: 22: ‘Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water’. The title, ‘Draw me nearer’, was taken from the refrain: Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord, To the cross...