06/28/2026
Millions have sung the words:
"Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me..."
It's one of the most famous hymns ever written. But many people don't know the incredible true story behind the song.
The man who wrote Amazing Grace was not a pastor, missionary, or church leader. His name was John Newton, and he was a slave trader. For years, Newton lived in rebellion against God, helping transport enslaved Africans across the Atlantic. He had abandoned the faith he learned as a child and openly mocked Christianity.
But in March 1748, Newton was aboard a ship in the North Atlantic when a violent storm struck. Massive waves battered the vessel. The ship began taking on water. Death seemed certain.
Fearing he would not survive, Newton cried out to God for mercy. It was the first sincere prayer he had prayed in years, and against all odds, the ship survived the storm.
But the greatest miracle wasn't that Newton's life was spared. It was that his heart was transformed. That storm marked the beginning of his journey back to God.
Years later, Newton became a pastor, an abolitionist of the slave trade he once participated in, and the writer of one of the most beloved hymns in history:
"Amazing grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see."
You may have wandered far from God. You may have made mistakes you wish you could erase. You may feel like you're caught in a storm of your own making.
But the same God who heard John Newton's cry still hears people today.
His mercy is greater than your past.
His grace is greater than your sin.
And if you sincerely call upon Him, He will save you too.
"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." — Romans 10:13
