Tag Archives: amazing grace

Amazing Grace – Sat – 22-10-22

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This week I’ve really enjoyed sharing with you the story of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” The lyrics were written by the former captain of a ship that hauled captives between Africa and the United States. Those captive were sold as slaves. Following his conversion and study of theology, John Newton wrote six verses to the hymn. His last verse was this:

“The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.”

You may be confused. Because this is not the final verse most of us sing. The last verse of the hymn was written long after Newton. Slaves in America created it. They passed it down orally for at least 50 years before Harriet Beecher Stowe included it in her anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin.* Here are the words,

“When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’ve first begun.”

The grace of God changed the heart of a vile, obscene, slave ship captain and he created one of the most favorite hymns in America. And the grace of God enlightened the hearts of slaves to create the final verse which rings with eternal hope. Sometimes, you just have to stop marvel at what God has done through his grace. How is he changing your heart?

*”Amazing Grace,” Wikipedia, Last updated Sept 9, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace

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Visit Elmer Fuller’s author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/

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Amazing Grace – Fri – 22-10-21

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This week the podcast has focused on the hymn “Amazing Grace.” John Newton wrote the lyrics in 1772. Sixty years later they were joined to the melody we now know. But the title was not set until nearly a hundred years after the lyrics were written. Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey published the song with the title “Amazing Grace.” When John Newton first wrote it, he gave this title, “1 Chronicles 17:16–17, Faith’s Review and Expectation.”*

I bet you didn’t know that. I am so glad Moody and Sankey gave it the current title.

Here’s something else you may not know, the fifth verse of the hymn. Many hymnals leave it out. That’s too bad, because it is part of the natural progression of the verses. The first verse focuses on the experience of salvation by grace. Then they focus on the grace present in our suffering which secures our future. This verse starts with our death and ends with life. It goes like this,

“Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.”

It reminds us of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” (NIV)

Amazing Grace – Thu – 22-10-20

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The war in Ukraine grinds on. Can you imagine being a parent of a small child caught in the conflict? You would do everything possible to shield them from violence and destruction. Many parents fled the country with their children. The number of people who have been displaced in Ukraine has climbed over 12 million according to a BBC report. I’m sure the children of Ukraine are comforted by their protective parents.

This reminds me of God protecting us. 1 Peter 1:3-6 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade–kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.” (NIV)

The fourth verse of “Amazing Grace” provides similar assurance.

“The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.”

Take a moment to praise God that he shields you through his power.

Amazing Grace – Wed – 22-10-19

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The third verse of “Amazing Grace” says,

“Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come,
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home.”

This hymn has been a comfort for many people during hard times. It became a Negro spiritual for slaves in early America. Soldiers in the Civil War also sang it. It was translated into Cherokee and later sung by them on the Trail of Tears.* Today, it is often sung at funerals.

As Psalm 23:4 says, God is with us “through the valley of the shadow of death.” Even though we struggle and suffer, we know God leads us home.

Listen to Jesus’ words in John 14:1-3, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (NIV)

But Jesus does not simply promise us comfort in the future. John 14:26 says he promised to send the Holy Spirit. The King James Version calls him “the Comforter.” Remember, God gives us so much more than just a clean slate. He leads and comforts us through life.

*”Amazing Grace,” Wikipedia, Last updated Sept 9, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace

How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/

Visit Elmer Fuller’s author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/

Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

Amazing Grace – Tue – 22-10-18

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Are you getting tired of all the judgmental anger in public life? People yell, protest and condemn others. Riots even break out. Many judge others for their misbehavior, cancelling them, shouting them down or doxing them. Some believe we are in a cultural revolution.

Maybe we are worried about the wrong thing. Rather than the judgement of people, maybe we should worry about the judgement of God. Romans 2:1-4 says, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?” (NIV)

God’s judgement is a frightful thing. The bible describes it as being thrown into a lake of fire or as a place of darkness with tooth-grinding pain. Thankfully there is a way to escape God’s judgement. We accept his grace through faith in Jesus. This journey from fear of judgement to the assurance of grace is displayed in the second verse of Amazing Grace.

“‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.”

Let’s stop condemning others and reach out to God for his grace.

How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/

Visit Elmer Fuller’s author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/

Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

Amazing Grace – Mon – 22-10-17

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“Amazing grace, How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I am found,
Was blind, but now I see.”

John Newton wrote these words in 1772. They were joined to the now familiar melody more than 60 years later, becoming one of the most widely known hymns in America. It has been sung with music arranged for a large worship band. But perhaps singing it without accompaniment best captures the spirit of the song, for it is a humble declaration of the powerful transformation God gives through his grace.

This first verse also echoes the joy of God described in the parable of the prodigal son. The father in the parable, represents God. His son leaves and squanders everything his father gave him. Starving, the son returns, hoping to be hired. But the father runs to him, embraces him as a son and throws a party. The father explains why he celebrates in Luke 15:24, “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” (NIV)

The hymn is a humble celebration. Only 21 of the 150 words used throughout the song are more than one syllable in length.* It doesn’t soar with fanciful lyrics or use profound phrases and highly educated words. It reflects the humble heart of one who recognizes how undeserved grace is. Take a moment to sing this verse as an offering to God.

*”Amazing Grace,” Wikipedia, Last updated Sept 9, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace

How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/

Visit Elmer Fuller’s author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/

Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.

Amazing Grace – Sun – 22-10-16

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John’s mother wanted him to become a minister. But John grew to be a wicked man. Conscripted into the British Navy, he rebelled with insubordination. He deserted the Navy while on leave in order to visit a woman. The Navy arrested him and decided to trade him to help crew a slave ship. The slave trade was legal at the time.  John had the foulest mouth of any sailor. He wrote obscene poems about the captain of the slave ship. He was so much trouble, the captain chained him up with the slaves. For a period, John was a slave in the African nation of Sierra Leon. But that experience changed nothing. When freed, he joined the crew of another slave ship. He continued in the slave trade and eventually became captain of a slave ship. But God had started working on his heart.

John left the sea in 1750 and began to study theology. He was ordained in 1764. He wrote poems. On January 1, 1773, one of his poems was used in a prayer meeting. It begins with these words: “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.”*

If John Newton were alive today, he’d be denounced, cancelled and reviled. His house would be burned and he’d likely be shot. Even though God changed John, some people would never forget his past. Aren’t you thankful that God sees us as we are and not as we were? Thank God for his grace.

*”Amazing Grace,” Wikipedia, Last updated Sept 9, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Grace

How to leave a review: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/rate-and-review/

Visit Elmer Fuller’s author website at: https://www.elmerfuller.com/

Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.