Some notes from Sunday's service. (Thanks, Jean)
Dr. Barclay – Reflections on Gospel Song Writers.
John Newton was born in 1725 in England. As a young
child his mother always prayed with him and took him to church with the hope he
would someday be a minister. John’s mother died when he was still a child.
Through the years that followed John became an alcoholic and very far from God.
He eventually joined a slave ship taking African slaves to America. During a
violent storm when the ship almost went under, John remembered his mother and
prayed that his life and the ship would be spared and it was. Many years later
when John was no longer sailing and slave trading, he became a minister and had
suffered various troubles with his physical health He also became a friend of
John Wesley. John Newton lived till 1807 and he went to his death thankful and
praising the Lord for saving him from a life of sin. The life of John Newton is
remarkable and today he is very much remembered for writing the beautiful hymn Amazing Grace in 1773.
Joseph Scriven was born in 1819 in Ireland. He was
born to a wealthy family and received a good education. In 1845 the year he was
to be married, his fiancee tragically drowned, thus Joseph left Ireland and
moved to Canada and settled in Port Hope Ontario. He later met another lady and
fell in love, yet tragedy struck Joseph again and this woman died of pneumonia
before they were to be married. Joseph served the Lord amidst tremendous
heartache and today is remembered for the ever loving and encouraging hymn What a Friend We Have in Jesus.
Robert Robinson was born in England in 1735, he grew
up poor in poverty and got involved with the wrong crowd in his younger years.
At 17 he mocked a fortune telling gypsy, who told him he would live to see his
grandchildren. Then Robert went to hear George Whitfield preach, Robert was
moved by the preaching so much, he gave his life to Christ and became a
preacher himself. Although Robert later strayed from the Gospel and became
involved in Unitarianism, he is remembered today for writing the ever
convicting hymn Come Thou Fount of
Every Blessing.
Horatio Spafford was born in 1828 in the United
States, he became wealthy successful lawyer in Chicago and was a friend of
Dwight L. Moody. Horatio’s young son died of a deadly illness, and in 1871 he
lost almost all his wealth and property in the great Chicago fire. In the fall
of 1873 his wife and four daughters went on a ship to visit London England,
tragically the ship was rammed by another steamer and the four daughters died.
Miraculously his wife Anna survived and lived to be reunited with her husband.
Unfortunately later in life Horatio and his wife left the gospel, developed
their own religious sect with false teachings. Yet through grief and hardship,
Horatio Spafford is remembered for the reassuring hymn It Is Well With My Soul.
Stuart Hamblen was born in 1908 in the United
States. He was a movie actor who starred in westerns and he was also a heavy
drinker, living a life far from the Lord. One day he went to a Billy Graham
crusade, after being encouraged by his wife to go. Billy Graham’s preaching
brought conviction and Stuart gave up drinking and changed his life around
fully and he no longer advertised for alcohol companies. Stuart served the Lord
for the rest of his life and sang with the Billy Graham crusades. Stuart wrote
many songs, but is greatly remembered for the timely and precious song It Is No Secret.
God is there for us, just like he was for these song
writers, God can speak through situations we go through and people we meet. God
is the same yesterday, today and forever.
