Fingerprints of Grace

“And as grace is free, so is it sure. Nothing can change, or alter, or turn away sovereign grace.”
– Alexander Whyte

There’s a song I heard many years ago, probably in the late 1990’s that does a great job of painting an image of our relationship with God.

This song was sung by a Christian singer/songwriter named Tom Laskey at a concert hosted by my church. (Being deeply moved by his music, I purchased two CDs and am so thankful I did as I am no longer able to find a place that sells his songs.)

The title is Fingerprints of Grace and the lyrics are God-inspired:

Fingerprints of Grace

(Words and music by Tom Laskey and Bobby Martin, ©1995)

Glancing back at the pages of my life

There’s so many lines I’d like to rewrite;

Ev’ry failure, ev’ry foolish choice.

But You showed You loved me even then.

Though I failed You time and time again,

How I wish I’d listened to Your voice.

O, You could have walked away

But You saw my need.

It’s clear to me now, that You will never leave

You will never leave.

Chorus

I see Your fingerprints of grace,

Leaving me a trace of your love that’s never ending.

I know Your hand is always there,

Making me aware of a past You constantly erase;

And all You leave, are Your fingerprints of grace.
__________
Like a foolish son of long ago,

All my empty dreams had left me alone.

How did I end up that far from You?

So ashamed to look into Your eyes,

When I saw You run, it took me by surprise

But it’s what You always seem to do.

O, You could have walked away

But You saw my need.

It’s clear to me now, that You will never leave,

You will never leave.

(Chorus)

O, Your nail-scarred hand leaves a trail of blood;

Giving grace, that I’m so unworthy of.

(Chorus)

Treasure of Grace

Nearly every line in this song speaks to me. I see myself clearly in the words of the first verses. “Glancing back at the pages of my life—There’s so many lines I’d like to rewrite;—Ev’ry failure, ev’ry foolish choice.—But You showed You loved me even then.— Though I failed You time and time again.”

My failures could fill volumes, but God never gives up on me. He loves me more than I can possibly understand, through all of my rebellion and missteps. His fingerprints on my life point to that great unending love.

And more than that, he redeems my sin, my story:

“Your hand is always there,—Making me aware of a past You constantly erase;—And all You leave, are Your fingerprints of grace.”

A Story of Redemption

Contrary to what we sometimes believe, Jesus is the author of our lives. Our stories are His and are rewritten by Him.

And no matter how we think our story reads, as a child of the True God, it becomes one of redemption, forgiveness, and salvation. Because in God’s grace, we are perfected as our transgressions disappear under His editing.

Contrary to what we sometimes believe, Jesus is the author of our lives. Our stories are His and are rewritten by Him. And no matter how we think our story reads, as a child of the True God, it becomes one of redemption, forgiveness, and salvation. Click To Tweet

He isn’t scared off by what He sees in our history. No matter how awful it is, He sticks around to recast those parts. “You could have walked away—But You saw my need.—It’s clear to me now, that You will never leave,—You will never leave.”

God remains by us. In His mercy, He wipes our slates clean! There are no residual vestiges of our wrong deeds or poor choices. All that’s left are His fingerprints of grace … His love!

Just imagine—our pasts are constantly erased by grace and redeemed!

We become the stories the downtrodden need to hear. We shine light on the lost and give hope to the hopeless. Not because we are worthy, but because “Your nail-scarred hand leaves a trail of blood—Giving grace, that I’m so unworthy of.”

What a glorious picture of the Redeemer!

Thanks, Tom Laskey, wherever you may be. And praise be to our Author and Editor!

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11–12).