The movie Amazing
Grace is perhaps my favorite movie; I watch it several times a month. I
love William Wilberforce and John Newton. I love Wilberforce for fighting to
end the slave trade, and Newton gifted to the church some of the greatest songs
of worship from a broken and humble life. If you have not seen Amazing Grace;
you must. Albert Finney’s performance as Newton is outstanding, and you must
watch the bagpipe ceremony at the end—playing of course, Amazing Grace!
One of my favorite scenes is of Wilberforce walking through
the beautiful, picturesque, English countryside, which happens to be his yard, admiring
God’s creation. The scene opens with Wilberforce examining an intricate spider’s
web; he is interrupted by his butler and engages in a conversation about God:
WB: It’s God. I have 10,000 engagements of state today
but I would prefer to spend the day out here getting a wet arse, studying
dandelions and marveling at… bloody spider’s webs.
B: You found God, sir?
WB: I think He found me. Do you have any idea how
inconvenient that is? How idiotic it will sound? I have a political career
glittering ahead of me, and in my heart I want spider’s webs.
Wilberforce was struggling with a desire to leave public
office and wholeheartedly serve God. William Pitt and John Newton convince him
that he can better serve God by remaining in public office; thankfully he did,
because he spent the next twenty plus years fighting to abolish the
slave-trade—amongst other noble reforms.
“God Almighty has
set before me two Great Objects: the suppression of the Slave Trade and the
Reformation of Manners.” William
Wilberforce
Wilberforce tapped in
to what many of us seek…resting in the presence of God. I long for a day when I
can wave-off my responsibilities, and lay out in the pasture reading God’s Word
and praying—with no distractions. I don’t suppose Wilberforce intended to
suggest to brush off one’s responsibilities, nor do I, but we need to get back
to a place where we want nothing more in life than to seek God; to be so in awe
of Him, that we pant after Him like the deer:
As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants
for You, O God (Ps. 42:1 NASB).
This Sabbath weekend, let’s return to being in awe of God;
rest in His presence; and seek for Him more than anything else in this world.
In His Grace,
My scribbling....
