I Serve A Savior: A 12-Day Devotional By Josh TurnerSmakprov

Amazing Grace
*An excerpt from Man Stuff, p.67

“Because of the LORD’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!” Lamentations 3:22-23

Coming out of a failed relationship in 2000 was a blessing in disguise. I was an emotional basket case. I could have easily gone the wrong way in the wake of that breakup – alcohol, sex, drugs – but I knew that was not the answer. I experienced a strange comfort in just being sad and alone. Now, being sad and alone is not the kind of thing a person goes looking for, but I’ve learned that when that strange peace comes, there’s usually something God wants me to learn.

Up to that point in my life, I’d never been betrayed or had my heart broken. But that changed, and suddenly all those country songs I grew up on made sense. People suffer those kinds of heartbreaks every day, so if you’re gonna’ write songs people can relate to, you’ve got to have the same experiences.

That painful relationship did many things to me, one of them being that I determined from that point on that my music would be real and honest

I usually have a hard time talking about my failures. Throughout my life I’ve chosen to focus on the good times unless I’m writing a song about a rough spot in my life. But I felt I needed to open up a little here, not to point fingers or cast blame, but to say that everybody goes through painful times. And the only real hope we have is God. Turn your eyes on Him. He cares about you like no one else on earth.

For Reflection: "Amazing Grace" - Live From Gaither Studios