GOD MOVES IN A MYSTERIOUS WAY

William Cowper, a man riddled with bouts of insanity until being overtaken by it, also happens to be the author of the hymn, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way”. It is in the moving and most beautiful lyrics of this heart-born poem that one is reminded of both the struggle of man and the sovereignty of God. Such a paradox is certainly beyond the reach of faithless minds. How can it be that divine sovereignty and the common struggles of humanity could be so interwoven with one another? Only in the realm of faith can this be understood as reality; for without faith one is left merely to look at the damage of the storm rather than the giver of rain.

Yet, the eyes of faith lead one to embrace the reality that there is purpose in the pain and sweetness in the struggle. This is not to imply that “everything will be okay” in the cliché like language of modern man but simply to imply that He is, in fact, both good and glorious no matter the circumstances. In fact, no circumstance will enter your life without first passing through His nail-scarred hands.

Cowper’s life was one of much heartache and pain and the concluding chapters of his life, according to many, were far from encouraging. Consider the following words from one author,” In John Bunyan’s classic allegory, The Pilgrim’s Progress, the hero Christian, on his way to the heavenly city, was taken into a very dark room where there sat a man in an iron cage. The iron cage, Christian learned, is despair, and the man, once a professing Christian, had become convinced that he faced the fiery judgment of God. He believed that he had committed the unforgivable sin. The life of William Cowper, one of the great hymn writers of the evangelical revival in the eighteenth century, provides another illustration. He wrote words like these:

There is a fountain filled with blood,

Drawn from Immanuel’s veins,

And sinners plunged beneath that flood

Lose all their guilty stains.

Yet Cowper was so overcome with depression that he tried to kill himself. He became so convinced that he had committed an unpardonable sin that he stopped attending church for the rest of his life [1]

The average Christ-follower may never struggle with fear of having committed the “unpardonable sin”; however, all go through periods of fear and forgetfulness. In regards to the great truths which were at one time like water to our dry and parched soul, we must remember. It's no wonder that Israel was instructed time and again to erect emoluments of remembrance. For sure, the Lord knows our struggle to recall His goodness. The disease of shortsightedness runs deep and seems to be contracted most often when walls close in, clouds grow dark, and roads get narrow. If we could only see that the walls were for our protection, the clouds were signs of rain and the road; though narrow it may be, it is one that leads to the City of God.

Whatever the trouble, whatever the confusion, whatever the difficulty, whatever the pain, whatever the mystery, whatever the seemingly hopeless situation may be, let us hold tightly to a simple confession of faith; namely, He is God and I am not. When moments of life seem to offer reason for doubt, let us remember that although His ways may be mysterious, they are never mistaken. Wiersbe said it quite well:

We can never really understand what is going on "in time" unless we know what happened "before the world was." As Dr. A. T. Pierson used to say, "History is His story." A modern novelist has affirmed that "everything is accident," but the Christian knows better. Everything is appointment. If you and I did not believe that God was on His throne, working out His perfect will, we would sink in the storms of life. The hymn writer William Cowper expressed it perfectly:

God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea

And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never-failing skill

He treasures up His bright designs

And works His sovereign will.

Modern self-made man with his egotistical emphasis on "do-it-my-way-living" wants nothing to do with a sovereign God. To be sure, the sovereignty of God in no way eliminates human responsibility or man’s moral freedom; but it does mean that God rules, and when He is not permitted to rule, that He overrules. [2]

[1]Emmaus Bible College. (2004; 2005). Emmaus Journal Volume 13 (vnp.13.2.181-13.2.182). Emmaus Bible College.

[2]Wiersbe, W. W. (1988). Prayer : Basic training. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale.