Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I’m found;
was blind, but now I see.
—John Newton, “Amazing Grace”
John Newton’s life story is a powerful example of transformation. Once hardened by his role in the slave trade, he lived in spiritual darkness. But during a fierce storm, when he feared for his life, he cried out to God in desperation, and his prayer was answered. God spared him, opening his eyes to his need for grace and setting him on a new path.
Newton’s words echo the promise that we, too, can move from darkness to light. As Paul writes, “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.” To live in God’s light is to see life in a new way, to embrace hope, and to walk forward with purpose. Newton’s hymn reminds us that God’s grace is always enough to turn our darkest moments into a new beginning.
No matter where we start, God’s grace meets us there, leading us to light and life.
