AMAZING GRACE HAS A SOUND

A note that inspired a poem and the Amazing Grace that followed.

The note from Brandon Robinson met me on a mild September morning.

The words stopped me from scrolling further.

I knew them.

Was living them.

I’d heard that sound.

It’s the sound of liquor being poured down the drain,

It’s the sound of pain pills being flushed down the toilet,

It’s the sound of prison doors opening,

It’s the sound of chains falling,

It’s the sound of a tearful confession,

It’s the sound of nails being hammered into the Savior of the world.

Amazing Grace has a sound.

— Brandon Robinson

For a while, I just sat there.

How could someone capture so fully, so beautifully, something that had taken me a lifetime to recognize?

In just a few sentences, Brandon captured my entire recovery journey.

After a while, I reached out to him: “May I use your words to write a poem?”

He graciously said yes.

The words flowed through me, rising from the depths of my grateful soul.

I’ve been walking this recovery journey for almost nine years. In the scheme of a life on the cusp of six decades, nine years doesn’t seem like a long time.

Yet, these last nine years have been the hardest, most fulfilling, and most beautiful years of my life.

They began in a hospital room during the darkest moment of my life, where God met me with the amazing grace I didn’t deserve, but was offered anyway.

Because that’s who He IS.

Yes, amazing grace has a sound.

A sound I know.

A sound I’ll never forget.

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Amazing Grace has a Sound

It’s the sound of liquor,

being poured into the drain.

The sound of the

tormented prayers,

we cry out in our pain.

It’s the sound of shattered bottles.

The sound of breaking chains.

The sound of prison doors,

as they open once again.

It’s the sound of rolling thunder,

in the middle of the storm,

reminding us that we’re not in

control and never were.

It’s the sound of our confessions,

spoken into the abyss.

The sound as locks spring open,

when we stop trying to resist.

It’s the sound the hammer made,

as it nailed Him to the cross.

The sound of mercy as it finds

the broken and the lost.

It’s the sound of our redemption,

in the words our Savior cried.

The sound of death defeated,

the moment that He died.

It’s the sound of our salvation,

as His faithfulness rains down.

It’s the sound that freedom makes,

when Amazing Grace is found.

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JN Fenwick | mothjournal14 | ©2026 | All rights reserved. | I DO NOT WALK THIS RECOVERY JOURNEY ALONE.

Faithful Recovery is a publication for those entering and continuing their recovery journey.

Addiction robs you of peace; your life revolves around the very thing destroying you. I know. I lived it for over thirty years. Addiction didn’t get the last word in my story; God did. He wrote a new story from the ashes. He’s waiting to write yours too.

Each week I post a poem, essay, or personal reflection describing the miracles God has worked in my life. Miracles of healing, faith, and forgiveness that can be yours too.

If you’re struggling with addiction of any kind, you’re welcome here. You’re not alone in your journey.