Change My Sighs To Praise

Change My Sighs To Praise

The grace of God was truly a sweet sound in the ears of John Newton.

THE LIFE of John Newton consisted of many different seasons. His journey took him from the decks of slave ships in the 1740s to the pulpit in 1764.

By his own admission, Newton’s admiration of his wife approached levels of idolatry. He was passionately in love with her, an emotion that did not dim with the passing of the years. Consequently, as it became apparent that his wife’s days were coming to a close, Newton’s friends were concerned over what effect her death would have on him.

As his wife’s health continued to deteriorate, John found his mind preoccupied with her well-being. “I have been watching with much feeling and too much anxiety my failing gourd, upon which a worm by the Divine appointment has been long preying.”

Newton related his last communication with his wife on Sunday, December 12, 1790: “When I was preparing for church in the morning, she sent for me, and we took a final farewell as to this world. She faintly uttered an endearing compellation, which was familiar to her, and gave me her hand, which I held, while I prayed by her bedside. We exchanged a few tears; but I was almost as unable to speak as she was.” That same evening Mrs. Newton lost her faculties of speech, sight, and hearing.

One of Newton’s chief concerns as his wife’s health failed was his own ability to model the truths he had spent so many years preaching from the pulpit. He had long emphasized the gospel’s message of comfort to those who are afflicted. He had preached a God who was the foundation of truth, the comforter of all who suffer, and the source of strength and help to all who desire to be assisted. Now the author of “Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound” came to realize that he had to admit his need for God’s grace in a time of his own great need.

In his memoirs he relates the result of this understanding: “From the time that I so remarkably felt myself willing to be helped I might truly say, to the praise of the Lord, ‘My heart trusted in Him, and I was helped indeed.

It was only three days from the time his wife lost her ability to communicate that she drew her last breath. John sat faithfully by her side holding a candle by which he watched his beloved’s life expire on December 15, 1790. He immediately knelt and thanked the Lord for her peaceful deliverance.

With the help of the Lord, Newton did not spend the days after his wife’s departure mourning alone in his home. He preached three times before his wife was buried and preached at her funeral as well—with tears streaming down his cheeks.

Five years later, on the anniversary of her death, Newton reflected on his marriage and the passing of his wife in a poem:

Then let me change my sighs to praise,

For all that He has done,

And yield my few remaining days

To Him, and Him alone.

I hope to join her soon again

On yonder happy shore,

Where neither sorrow, sin, nor pain,

Shall ever reach us more.

God’s grace was truly a sweet sound in the ears of John Newton.

Reflection

Whom do you love most in this world? Do you think you can trust God for his comfort if that person dies before you do? Will you meet again in heaven?

God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:4