John Newton on Life's Afflictions

Last week, I shared about the evolution of “Amazing Grace”, but I was nearly going to share a different quote by John Newton. Normally when I decide not to share a topic it’s gone for good, but this passage has kind of been nagging me all week, so I am going to read it, one week too late. For John Newton not only wrote the words to a renowned hymn, he also wrote a long collection of letters throughout his life regarding faith, grace, and in the case of tonight’s quote, life’s afflictions.

We’ve had a pretty tough year this choir season, in some specific ways. In the past couple weeks, Susan Elliott’s sister has gone to be with the Lord, and Eric Graeber’s father, and Barbara Tucker’s husband. Over the full season, we’ve lost fellow choir members, as well as our spouses, parents, and siblings. And I in no way want to marginalize those losses, but Newton does offer one spiritual upside when things do not go our way; here’s Newton on one blessing that life’s afflictions provide:

“Afflictions quicken us to prayer. It is a pity it should be so; but experience testifies that a long course of ease and prosperity, without painful changes, has an unhappy tendency to make us cold and formal in our worship. But troubles rouse our spirits, and constrain us to call upon the Lord in good earnest, when we feel a need of that help which we only can have from his almighty arm. Afflictions are useful, and in a degree necessary, to keep alive in us a conviction of the vanity and unsatisfying nature of the present world, and all its enjoyments; to remind us that this world is not our rest, and to call our thoughts upwards, where our true treasure is, and where our heart ought to be. When things go on much to our wish, our hearts are too prone to say, ‘It is good to be here!’”


Indeed, Newton has zeroed in on one unfortunate aspect to our nature – when things in life go too much our way, we tend to lose fervency in our prayers and worship, whereas when life does present us with real problems, our dependence on our Heavenly Father and our longing for the next world increases. It’s not an ideal setup, probably, but at least we can find a positive to life’s disappointments. Let’s bow our heads.

Holy Father, we come to you tonight with the renewed earnestness that John Newton describes, as our choir deals with life’s afflictions. Grant us peace and patience in all our tough times, and remind us that this is not our final home. As we approach Holy Week, may we reflect on your sacrifice in a deep and meaningful way. We give you tonight and this season; in your holy name, Amen.


(source: http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/60149.John_Newton)