The night was dark and foggy.
A man walked in the darkness from his house to the cobble-stone street, his step determined and relentless, but his face – had anyone been able to see it in the dark – was tear stained and weary.
As he reached the street, he peered both ways, looking for the tell-tale lantern of a horse-drawn, London cab.
The man muttered: “Nothing! Am I too late? But no! I must end all tonight! And the river it must be!”
Then, in the distance, he noticed a hazy light, slowly enlarging.
Almost whispering, the man said bitterly: “God, you provided me no solace, but here you provide the cab to take me to my death!”
“Where to?” asked the cabby, when he stopped.
“London Bridge,” the man replied, curtly.
“A cold night it is, sir – what sort of business have you at the Bridge at this hour?”
But the man said nothing.
The cabbie ended his attempt at conversation, and set off toward the well-known destination.
But the fog became thicker and thicker, so that the cabbie could not see even his horse’s nose.
What should have been a 20 minute ride, lasted an hour, and still there was no sign of the river or the 600 year old bridge.
The cabbie peered into the fog, desperately looking for some familiar sign.
Suddenly, the fog lifted.
The passenger, looked to his right and saw, to his amazement, his own home.
The cab, lost in the fog, had circled back to the very place he began the journey.
“My God! You have answered me!” the passenger cried out.
God Moves in Mysterious Ways
Later that night, by his own fireside, this man, William Cowper, one of the greatest of England’s 18th century poets, meditated on Psalm 77 and penned the great poem, “God Moves in Mysterious Ways.”
God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And he rides upon the storm.Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sovereign willYe fearful saints, fresh courage take!
The clouds ye so much dread;
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your headJudge not the Lord by feeble sense
But trust him for his grace
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling faceHis purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flowerBlind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain
God is a God who hears.
One of the major aspects of worship that we frequently don’t consider as worship is calling out to God, trusting Him when things are bad for us.
Calling out to God in the midst of our trouble is worship.
God can listen to all of His billions of children simultaneously.
God listens and He responds in His way and in His time.
How have you seen God move in mysterious ways in your life?
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2 ways our hope can bring us joy
What does your face say to people?
6 ways to practice the presence of God throughout your day
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Oh my, there are just too many “coincidences” to count. For my own life, my marriage, our kids, our adoptions–God has moved in ways we couldn’t understand until the fulfillment of His word came. We had to have faith through the process, but He has never once let us down. Thanks Kevin.
Amen Jason! Our God is an AWESOME God!
Thanks for sharing.
I agree with Jason.
And, more than once, when I was considering suicide or thought God should take me Home soon and quickly [especially about 38 years ago when horrific marriage experiences were occurring], He broke into my day-by-day life absolutely amazingly. Should write that book, believe me!! I most certainly understand. In my case, He miraculously provided finances [I had next-to-none, as my husband kept it all, even my paychecks], and no place to go — I could bike or walk, but that was it –in less than 5 days He moved/flew me and my 2 young kids from Redwood City, CA, to Omaha, NE, [May 25, 1974] to stay with my friend Susie [S.etole] and her husband, whom I hadn’t seen for years, and who had invited me out to visit “whenever”. Then, after arriving, when almost immediately I “crashed” b/c my adrenaline stopped overflowing, pastors stepped up and protected and cared for me. If none of that happened, I most certainly wouldn’t be spending too much time bugging you. HE IS THE REDEEMER in more ways than one!!! [I have lived in Omaha most of the time in nearly 38 years. Miss the Cascade and Olympic mountains, the Puget Sound and Pacific ocean, etc. But my kids and g-kids live here, so it's now "home". Never would have anticipated or thunk that!]
Now I’ll shut up and go away.
You are appreciated.
That is an amazing testimony of God’s work and provision in your life Joanne!
You should write “that book.”
Thanks for all your thoughtful comments!
I understand what you meant when you said, “Calling out to God in the midst of our trouble is worship.”
I have run through a lot of seemingly tight spots before but I always end up rising through it as if a certain set of coincidences happen to turn the favor on my side.
Often it is only after we go through a difficult time that we are able to see God’s work in our lives.
Thanks for sharing Sergey!
Such a beautiful poem! Thanks for posting it, I can remember that I’ve read it already at the university, but it was a long time ago….
It is indeed a great poem Julie!
Thanks for sharing.
What a great story and tie in lesson. Thanks, and thanks to Jason who I followed over.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing Floyd!
Kevin…this is soooo true. Thanks for sharing this. I have had so many miracles, both small and large in the lives of my wife and myself. We give ourselves to Jesus on a daily basis. His ways are mysterious to us…but always in our best interests. His time table is not always our time table…but He knows the end from the beginning and always wants the best for us.
Great thoughts Martin!
Thanks for sharing them.
Great post. God has ALWAYS been there and provided in all my times of need. He is my solid rock that when all else is a mess he is a constant stronghold for me!
Amen Adam!
Thanks for sharing.
Hi Kevin,
thank you for sharing this inspirational post. I love the
“His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower”
Our experience may be bitter but can turn into a sweet flower like the poem unfolded for William Cooper.
Yes it can Yorinda!
Thanks for sharing.
What a beautiful reminder. It’s a fascinating idea to contemplate that worship is trusting God when we don’t understand, or when circumstances even seem to be Him conspiring against us. In times like these, we need to remember that we are the created, He is the Creator, and He has perfect character, and He loves us.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and adding to the discussion Steve!
God is divine and powerful. We have to trust him and everything will be alright
Yes, we must trust God in everything.
Thanks for sharing Mindy!
Your post is very nice lets just always remember that God is good ALL the time.
Thanks for sharing Carol!