John Newton was born in 1725. On September 3, 2020, my favorite blogger, Jim Denison, wrote about an event which occurred in Newton’s life on the same day 272 year earlier, September 3, 1748. Newton, who was the captain of a slave ship, encountered such a violent storm he feared he and his crew were going to die. Amid the howling wind and towering waves— Newton recalled the lessons his godly mother had taught him when he was just a boy. He begged, “Lord, have mercy upon us.” He believed God spoke to him through the storm— and from that day forward was a changed man.
Often people praying during a crisis, are primarily asking God for help. Those prayers rarely result in life-long changes. But when Newton committed his life to Christ that day, his life changed forever. He stopped being a slave ship captain and became a disciple of well-known preacher, George Whitefield. Newton taught himself Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, believing God was calling him to be a minister.
Remarkably, his ministry not only made an impact during his life but continues to touch millions 215 years after his death. His most enduring legacy was not the sermons he preached, but the hymns he composed. Although he wrote 280 songs, he is best known for the most beloved hymn ever written, Amazing Grace.
His ministry was to make even more of an impact, Newton pastored a church in London, where he deeply influenced William Wilberforce, who became the driving force behind the movement to outlaw slavery in England.
