Jason, thank you for this.Here's William Cowper's meditation upon this same theme which is one of my favorite hymns.
It reminds me of a passage in Spurgeon's An All-Round Ministry, where he writes, "If some men, that I know of, could only be favored with a month of rheumatism, it would, by God's grace, mellow them marvellously...I would not wish for any man a long time of sickness and pain; but a twist now and then one might almost ask for him. A sick wife, a newly-made grave, poverty, slander, sinking of spirit, might teach lessons nowhere else to be learned so well. Trials drive us to the realities of religion."
Michael
William Cowper (1731–1800)
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.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall 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.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.
"Trials drive us to the realities of religion." So true! Thank the Lord that He is still there, especially if we haven't perceived His presence for a while.
ReplyDeleteThe Cowper hymn is one of my favorites too. I don't know the tune, but I like singing it to the tune of "O God Our Help in Ages Past." Cowper knew from Scripture and experience what he wrote about.
Tim,
ReplyDeleteI've been asked for a recommendation of a biography on the life of Cowper. I don't know. Have you read any?
The only one I can remember seeing anywhere is How Sweet the Sound by Noel Davidson, published by Emerald House Group I think. It's the story of John Newton and William Cowper. Unfortunately, I haven't read it but would like to. I did a search on Amazon for William Cowper, and it turned up several biographies that I've never heard of.
ReplyDeleteTim, thanks for the titles. I also saw that Piper has written a short bio in The Hidden Smile of God.
ReplyDeleteHey Jason
ReplyDeleteI found you!!
This is Giotis from Athens, Greece.
I will try to follow your blog. It looks very interesting.
Blessings
Giotis,
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting the blog!!! I hope you'll comment from time to time. It's always helpful to me to consider the insights of others!
Thanks again for your ministry here in Montgomery. I was able to acquire the audio of all the sermons from the conference. We listened to the ones we had missed as we did some traveling a couple of weeks ago. The messages were very encouraging and challenging. What a privilege it is to take the Gospel to our cities. Thanks for the clear, biblical expositions.
We're praying that the Lord will continue to bless your ministry there in Greece.
BTW, if you have any good book recommendations (new or old), please pass them along.