He Did Not Despair of the Despairing

 Most people know John Newton for two things. He was the captain of a slave trading ship for years. After he got saved and called to the ministry he wrote a poem. Not just a poem. An anthem of the faith. Newton wrote Amazing Grace. 

He also served as a faithful pastor for decades. He faithfully loved his flock and fed them the word of God. He wrote hundreds of other hymns besides his most famous one. He faithfully shepherd the flock. None of these things is the point of this post. 

God orchestrated that John Newton and William Cowper cross paths. From that point on, Newton became a lifelong friend of Cowper. Cowper battled lifelong depression and attempted suicide multiple times. I wrote about this in a previous blog titled, Debilitating Depression. 

What amazes me is that Newton did not give up on his friend. Counseling him. Helping Cowper walk off the ledge of suicidal thoughts. He even asked him to help write songs for a hymnal to be used in Newton's congregation. They took long walks together discussing spiritual themes. They shared meals. Newton listened as Cowper unloaded his clouded mind and heavy laden heart. Newton kept shining light in Cowper's dark world. Remaining Cowper's friend could not have been easy. It must have been emotionally draining. Newton never despaired of the despairing. 

That is far cry from what some do with troubled people today. We want our churches to grow. We just do not want them to grow with troubled people who will require extra attention. We want people with their acts together, who make a good salary to help support the church financially, and who volunteer in some ministry to keep the church programs well staffed. Cowper would not have qualified. That leaves a lot of people out. That does reflect the heart of Jesus. 

Newton's example is just like Jesus. Look closely at the people Jesus gravitated toward. Lepers, adulterers, lame, demon possessed, blind, paralyzed, broken, immoral, tax collectors, and even the dead on a couple of occasions. He intentionally zeroed in on people others went out if their way to avoid. He loved the most unlovable. He tolerated the intolerable. He ministered to the messed up. He moved toward the marginalized. 

Newton did not give up on his friend. He walked the hard miles with a depressed suicidal gifted soul. He kept showing up. Even when God moved him to another church in another town. He maintained correspondence with Cowper to the very end of his life. What a faithful shepherd following in the footsteps of the Great Shepherd Jesus. Will we do the same? May we never despair of the despairing.