“Dear Lord, take up the tangled strands where we have wrought in vain, that by the skill of Thy dear hands some beauty may remain. Transformed by grace divine. The glory shall be Thine; to Thy most holy will, O Lord, we now our all resign.”
This is the first verse of a hymn by Mrs. F. G. Burroughs. It captures the wonderful power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to transform the lives of human beings…a power which continues to operate even to the present day.
It happened to Mary Magdalene, and to the Apostle Paul, to Teresa of Avila, to Martin Luther, to John Knox and John Wesley. It happened to Fanny Crosby and Mother Teresa of Calcutta…to famous and unknown people down through the centuries. It is still happening today. It has happened to people sitting at the other end of the pew from us and to people from the far reaches of the world. It has happened to young people and aged adults. It will continue to happen even when present generations have passed from the scene.
It is the transforming power of God’s love. It will never end!