The turning point that changed the world

“For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end.” – Daniel 6:26

“Nothing in all the world is as powerful as an idea whose time has come,” so wrote Victor Hugo more than a century ago. I don’t know whether Victor Hugo had an Englishman by the name of William Wilberforce in mind when he pondered the power of an idea, but he well could have. And who was Wilberforce? He was born into a moneyed family and grew up with the benefit of education and culture, but the turning point of his life came when he was touring Europe with a friend.

Seeing a book in his luggage entitled, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, Wilberforce asked, “What is this?”

“One of the best books ever written,” replied his comrade. The two of them began reading the book together, and the impact of that little book written by William Law changed the direction of his life. It was his turning point.

Following his conversion to Jesus Christ, Wilberforce began searching for a purpose in life. He was not long in discovering one. Being challenged to confront the horrors of slavery, Wilberforce, who then had been elected to Parliament, began to speak against human bondage. He was young, rich and generally ignored, but little did his opponents know the power of the idea, which had been born in the heart of this man.

He began what became a lifelong battle and pursuit. In 1788 before Parliament he proposed the abolition of slavery and introduced an anti-slavery motion. It was defeated. For the next 18 years, he introduced a motion every single year. All of them were defeated. All of them, that is, until March 25, 1806, and then the first anti-slavery bill was passed. Ultimately, he succeeded, and we are benefactors of his tenacity and his unswerving commitment to the truth.

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Used with permission from Guidelines International Ministries. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, send an e-mail to [email protected]. You may also visit www.guidelines.org.