God Moves In Mysterious Ways – William Cowper

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.

I came across this poem by William Cowper while reading a D.A. Carson book entitled Scandalous, and found it to be extremely interesting. The poem speaks of God’s ways being different then ours, and at times when we think he is absent or unjust he is actually working to perfect our faith. Romans 5: 3-5 explains this simply God uses suffering to improve our character and produce hope. Even if we are a fickle people that live in the “here and now,” God has eyes that focus on our betterment through the long haul. I hope this is a truth that I can remember in the good times and through my own suffering.