Amazing Grace

You know how you can hear a song so much that it becomes white noise?

Amazing Grace became white noise to me long ago. But for whatever reason, it popped in my head this morning. Everyone is familiar with that first verse, and many love the last one: "When we've been there ten thousand years ..." But there is one line that struck me today like it never has before -- something so profound that it reminded me of a Graham Kendrick quote: "I have heard theologians say that some theological truths are so profound that they can only be expressed in poetry."

"Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.

How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed."

Wow -- think about that: "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved." We think of it in that second sense -- it relieves fear, removes death. But before it does that, it teaches our hearts to fear. The fear of the Lord is an act of grace. Isn't that, pardon the cliche, amazing?

I have a long-time friend who unfortunately is not a Christian. Never has been, and in fact has always been antagonistic towards it. He says he and God have a deal: they stay out of each other's business. Recently he brought up something to do with theology and we got on the subject of hell. He said, with a smile, that God will have to send him to hell because heaven ain't big enough for the both of them.

Don't we all know people like that -- or at least see, or hear about people like that -- people who have no fear, no respect? Think about how God, Jesus, hell are all slang, curses, jokes in our culture, and how often people never really think about what they're saying, or care. And what makes a difference in us? Why do we care? Because we're smarter?

No -- twas grace that taught our hearts to fear. So no matter if the phrase has become white noise or a cliche, "amazing" is about as good an adjective for grace as the limits of human vocabulary will allow.