I wondered about the author of this hymn’s lyrics (God Moves in a Mysterious Way, Cowper, W., 1773). What happened in this believer’s life? His mother died when he was six. He fell in love but wasn’t allowed to marry her. He went to law school but couldn’t handle the exam, so he never practiced his chosen profession.
So much suffering, right?
His lifelong experience of clinical depression then rendered a suicide attempt and hospitalization. Dependent on care from others, he filled subsequent quiet days with thankful, spiritual reflection. He wrote this hymn eleven years after that suicide attempt, in the midst of his continual challenges of depression.
As the turmoil of this fallen world continues, with no end in our sight, are you struggling to sing praise songs to God? Does your circumstance fuel loneliness, worry, confusion, or anger? Could we quietly consider God’s mysterious ways through this author’s hymn?
This is not an up-tempo, “bounce-around-the-room and shout with joy” kind of hymn. Perhaps that would feel kind of fake to you right now. No, this is a hymn of awe, worship, and humble adoration of our sovereign Lord who is moving in His mysterious, good, and perfecting way…in and through all of the turmoil and pain.
Praising our sovereign God into depression
If you also endure life with depression, I pray that this Scripturally-saturated praise interruption brings a quiet joy, deepened comfort, and renewed knowing to your soul as you deal with its symptoms today.
Let’s worship the Lord together with His Word, in a moment of prayerful praise.
Lord, I praise You for Your goodness, power, and purpose, even though I don’t understand it
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all (I Chron. 29:11 ESV).
Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases (Ps. 115:3 ESV).
The Lord is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble;
he knows those who take refuge in him (Nahum 1:7 ESV).
Deep in unfathomable mines
of never-failing skill
he treasures up his bright designs,
and works his sovereign will.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Is. 55:8-9 ESV).
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will (Eph. 1:11 ESV).
Lord, I praise You because Your mercy never ends and these hard days are bringing a blessing to me
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved (Eph. 2:4-5 ESV).
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5:2 ESV).
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end (Lam. 3:22 ESV).
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Ps. 23:6 ESV).
Next week, we will continue this praise interruption through the rest of the hymn and more Scripture. The more I learn about hymnwriters, I discover that their songs were often born out of deep suffering. If you are enduring tremendous suffering today, I pray that this hymn and Scriptures will help you to glorify God by clinging to His sovereign rule and care, as He comforts you in the midst of your pain.
I create weekly YouTube playlists to help us all respond in worship to Him by singing with visual lyrics. This week, the playlist praises Him for His goodness, power, sovereign rule, wisdom, perfect purpose, grace and mercy, and promises of blessing to us as His children. It would be this musician’s honor to share it with you. I too know deep suffering and I know it can be hard to praise God in the midst of our pain. I pray my curated playlist gives you words in times when it’s hard to find your own.
If you would like it in your email so you can respond to these Scriptures by singing their truths back to the Lord, sign up below. This playlist is bathed in prayer for you, dear sister in Christ.
