Amazing Grace and John Newton

It is a song we know so well, especially we Christians. But to many, it is just a song. You listen to it, put it away when it’s over and move on. Doesn’t that sound familiar? I know it does for me in many situations. However, I want to write a proper post about this hymn. This is dedicated to Jenny, a very dear friend of mine. This post is also for them who may love Amazing Grace as well as the story behind it.

The hymn Amazing Grace was published in 1779. It was written by John Newton. In the beginning, he was both a slave trader and an English captain. His father was a shipmaster, while his mother was a Nonconformist Christian. However, she died when John was rather young. His got his first meeting with the sea when he was around eleven years old, and after this, his father wanted him to do to work on a sugar plantation. John however, had other plans. As I already mentioned, he signed into a merchant ship.

During this time, he was captured, and forced into the Royal Navy. While being a midshipman on the HMS Harwich, it brought many troubled episodes on him which would later affect his life. The time was so hard, and he even thought about suicide. Thankfully he recovered, and was transferred to the slave ship Pegasus. Also here, I ended in trouble. He was sent to West Africa, was abused and so on. The poor man was saved in 1748.

It was the same year that while being on his way back to England, his ship was filled with water. He cried out to God. When he came home, he started to read the Bible. I am sure it must have woken something in him, and he accepted the doctrines of Evangelical Christianity. While stopping with things as gambling and drinking, he continued with the slave trade. The man felt sorry for them, but nothing was done yet. While he was in Africa in 1748/49, he was sick. It was during this he asked God for help, and he said “That he was at totally at peace with God.”

It was first in 1954 he stopped with sailing, but he didn’t leave the slaving operations. He studied while being in England, and in 1764, he became a priest. He became known to many great people, and William Wilberforce is maybe one of them we’ll remember the most. A lot is to be told about his later years, but that is something I won’t bring up now. I rather want to mention Amazing Grace.

It is said that the song was written for a sermon in 1973, but one can’t quite tell exactly how it was. If one studies the song and John Newton, there are many similarities and it’s no secret that it’s based on his actions and experiences. The song is about that we can receive forgiveness and redemption, no matter our sins. The soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God. That is so much more than what we can ask for!

Look at John Newton. By looking at his life, he was a sinner, but this man wrote the hymn that so many loves. He changed; he found God. He was saved. “Was blind, but now I see.” Isn’t that true? I believe so. We can’t see without God because He is the Truth. God will open our eyes. And when we come Home, the we will see.

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Twas grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home

We are here for just a time, but at the end, we will go home. God leads us to so many things which we never could have managed without Him. The Grace is carrying us, and as John Newton once said: “The Grace will lead me Home.”

The song tells about His mercy, His love and that He will take care of us. We know it, but we need to be reminded about it. And this song, it is so special to many of us exactly because it tells about how great out God is. Not only is it beautiful, but the message is so true and important to us. Just think about it. Just sit down and listen to the song.

The Lord is merciful.
“But God, who call'd me here below,
Will be forever mine.”

Clearing a Mind

I think I just need to clear my mind now. It just feels so full. I know people must look down at me when I say this, but I cannot help it.

It’s just that I am feeling that I am losing a part of my courage. Really, I am feeling stupid. I want to do something that others can and does, but I am not as good as them. I know so, and that is something I do see everyday. That is English.

People talk, and I can’t understand it all. Yes, it’s not my native language, but it doesn’t hurt less. There are words I have no chances to understand, there are conversations I cannot follow and I don’t live in the same country as many others do. I’m proud over being Norwegian, but in times like that, it just hurts so badly.

I looked at one chat today, and it made me upset. The topic did it, and so did the words as well. I have no right to be so, but I am. It’s so wrong of me, but I am praying to God that He will help me. I don’t want to feel stupid.

I guess I just needed to clear my mind a little. Anyway, I’ll be fine.

I should maybe edit this and add that no matter how much people tell me something, I do often have a hard time understanding. When somebody says something nice to me, of course I get happy and very thankful. That is true. But I have problems with taking positive thing in over me, and it takes a very long time. It's something I am working on wiht the Lady, and I do hope it will get better soon.

I should maybe make an own post to that, but I shall in that case do it later. And I do hope it will make sense. I just need to be told things sevral times before I really understand it, and at times, wants to understand it.

Faith in The Lord

I almost feel bad. Almost. I’ve been sitting here, just letting this thing die slowly. I shall try to write some life into it, but I fear I can’t say if I will manage it or not. For me, this is the last day of this year. It’s past midnight, but so it may be. When you do have something on your heart, the sleep can wait a little. It might seem like a self-centered thought, but I hope I will be forgiven.

I decided that I wanted to write a post about something that is very special to me, and a dear friend, Dana, did remind me about it. I will dedicate this to her and to them who knows somebody that don’t see God as we do. ‘We’ is a big word, but I know that the ones that read this will understand who I am addressing. We Christians.

It’s so well known that not everybody believe in our Lord, Jesus Christ. We care so much for them we love, and dear, we truly do wish more people would look towards Him. We Christians do have hard times with seeing Him, but we still believe. He is there, no matter how dark it seems, how desperate we might be and if we sin or not. He is there! Humans are so blessed because God gave His son to us because He loved us so much. Dear friends of me have told me that The Lord’s love is everlasting, I and do believe so. No matter if you believe or not, The Lord does care for you.

But this is not the time when I will sit here and talk exactly about this. I want to talk about that people can change. However, with this introduction, I do hope that it can be a reminder. I know myself how badly I need that.

Over to the part of changing. There are so many that does not believe. They do have different reasons, but I won’t say anything because of that because my knowledge is not as deep and it’s not something I wish to throw myself completely into because I do not know everything. What I know though, is that people can change. Many have said that they do not believe; that they can’t believe; that they won’t believe. I know how much it does hurt to hear that, I really do. Both my father and sister, Jeanette, are not Christians and I know that they are not alone.

But God’s power is so much greater than we ever could have imagined. Dana made me think about C.S. Lewis. He said himself once in a time that he was not going to believe. It would not happen! But look what God’s grace did. Look where he ended. He became one of the greatest writer’s in my eyes, and he became a Christian. His works like Narnia, The Great Divorce and Mere Christianity do all have a strong Christian message.

At the end, he saw that the faith was not anything he could fight against. It was too powerful. He talked for a long time with two of his friends (Tolkien was one of them), and he saw the Truth. God’s mercy lifted him, and the once so stubborn man became a man of faith. A fairytale? No, I would not say so.

This was God. He was so good, and he helped not only C.S. Lewis, but so many others. We who have read his works have learned something new, we’ve seen new side of our faith and ourselves, and he did inspire so many. Yes, this was the work of God.

And that is something that gives me hope. I pray that the ones that can’t see The Lord will see Him. That they will see His mercy, His love and how much He care. There is hope. I pray that God will give us strength to spread the Word, and that people will listen. People can change.

I do hope this can be a good reminder as well as something to think about. There is hope! The Lord is our Hope. Amen.

Please pray?

At the moment while I write this, I don’t really know what I’m thinking. It’s just that I can’t stop crying… Everything feels horrible. I don’t have much to say other than just please pray. I should have put it in the form, but I don’t manage. There is so much and I’m… I can’t really explain. Please pray. I need it so badly at the moment.