“The Grace that Goes Before”

William Miller was walking in God’s grace long before he fully recognized it—and so are all of us. Miller became known for preaching about the soon return of Christ, setting the date for sometime in 1843. When that expectation ended in disappointment, he continued with the wider Advent movement and, only days before another prediction by Samuel Snow—who pointed to October 22, 1844—he lent his support. That day, remembered as the Great Disappointment, became the crucible out of which God raised up a group of believers who eventually formed the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1863.

Miller’s path to faith was not a sudden flash of light, but a gradual work of grace. As a boy, he had a passion for reading, eagerly devouring every book he could borrow. His wide reading included the skeptical writings of Voltaire, Hume, Paine, and Ethan Allen, which drew him into Deism—the belief in a distant Creator uninvolved with human affairs. But in 1814, during the Battle of Plattsburgh, Miller narrowly escaped death when an exploding shell killed and wounded men near him. That experience shook him deeply, leaving him with questions about death and eternity that neither Deism nor his library could answer.

All the while, God was patiently working. Step by step, He opened doors for Miller to see the truth in Scripture. His conversion was not dramatic but steady and personal. Through careful study, he came to believe in Christ as Savior, and after much inner struggle he accepted the call to share what he had learned. The message he proclaimed grew into a movement that touched not only his nation but the world.

Theologians call this prevenient grace—the “grace that goes before.” It is God’s initiative, drawing us toward the saving grace of Christ’s death and resurrection. Jesus spoke of this when He said: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44). Long before we know Him, God is already at work in our lives, creating moments of conviction, longing, and hope. This is the grace that lays the path to salvation.

Let us praise God for this marvelous evidence of His love—a love that has always sought to save all who will believe

-Pastor Lim