Mysterious Ways

"God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds you so much dread, Are big with mercy and will break In blessings on your head. 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. Deep in unfathomable mines Of never-failing skill, He treasures up his bright designs And works his sovereign will. Blind unbelief is sure to err And scan his work in vain; God is his own interpreter, And he will make it plain."

These are the words of William Cowper, a man who was God's child, but still struggled with depression and despair throughout his life. One so convinced of God's sovereignty and goodness was schooled by his trials...resulting in words such as these, which affirm in the light what he might be tempted to forget in a dark moment. (You can read more about Cowper in chapter 12 of John Piper's When I Don't Desire God.) Interestingly enough, centuries later, we read them still and feel our hearts swell within us to hold on to hope, to believe that our God is at work, when all around us may be darkness and bitter circumstances. In fact, Jeremy Riddle, who happened to be at our church yesterday leading worship, records his own arrangement of these words. You can check out his song at http://www.jeremyriddle.net (It's number 10 on the songplayer...top right corner)

Why do I comment on this? Well, for those of you who may not know me well, I can lean toward melancholy much of the time. I have had many people tell me I am " intense." Over the years, I have been able to see God's goodness to me in this. By the grace of God, I am cultivating thankfulness. I am not without joy. But it is not a flippant joy. I don't excuse hopelessness in a believer's life. It is sinful. But so is putting our hope in false idols...fun get-aways, easy living, a healthy bank account, great relationships, etc. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'd rather be completely hopeless about what "life" has to offer, and have nothing on which to lean, which forces me to cry out to my Savior, than to be superficially happy and content with status quo. God knows the intricate way in which I was made and to wish I was one of those "happy-go-lucky" people would be questioning His potter's hand in my life. So instead, I see that this tendency in me causes me to be leaning on God just to get up and get moving some days. Maybe you can relate. I will (probably) never be a Pollyanna. And I am grateful. God is purposeful. My prayer is that I might be "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" in the Lord. He is everything!