Hymn of the Week: God Moves in a Mysterious Way

Yesterday I was reading a little bit about the providence of God (Not by Chance, by Layton Talbert) and was reminded yet again that God is in control. I was also reminded that God is in control whether I understand His plan or not. I frequently do not.

Therefore, I began searching for a hymn on the providence of God and encountered this one by William Cowper (1731-1800). [Cowper's most well-known hymn is probably There is a Fountain Filled With Blood, a beautiful hymn about Jesus' sacrifice for us on the cross.]

God's ways are often mysterious—to us. This hymn reminds us, in beautiful poetic detail, how God knows what we do not, and that His plans are infinitely better than our own. There is no reason to fret or fear; God is in control.

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

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.

God's Provision, 11/28/07 Edition

Yesterday an undesirable thing happened: Our comcast.net internet service went away. Since we also have Vonage phone service, this meant our phone service dropped also. I was not very happy about this, of course, for two reasons:

1. I use the internet to do online tutoring. Therefore, I missed all my scheduled time yesterday.
2. I use the internet to schedule substitute teaching assignments. Since I did not have an assignment for today (11/28), I could not schedule one in advance for today, either.

So here I am, thinking that I would be out of work (and missing the corresponding income) for a full day, barring a phone call at the last minute. On top of this, I passed on a half-day teaching assignment for today, also; and I was regretting that.

So I prayed about it before getting a good night's sleep.

This morning the phone rang at about 5:56 a.m. I still don't know who called...but it meant the phone was working, and likewise, the internet probably was, too. So I jumped out of bed (I rarely jump out of bed anymore—it's more of a glacier-like motion) to turn on the computer. The internet is working! There are sub assignments—two good ones to choose from! The one I passed on was an elementary P.E. assignment which had a student teacher (I know this because I am subbing for her next week); and the other one was Honors Math classes at the one school that allows me internet access in the classroom...where I am right now!

The Lesson: God can take a lousy-looking situation and turn it around favorably. And for this, I thank Him.

Book Review: "Washington's God" by Michael Novak and Jana Novak

This is a must-read book.

The core of the book is this: What did George Washington, deep down in his own heart, think about God? What "kind" of God did he worship (or did he worship at all)? Was he really a "Christian"?

The book focuses its effort on three central questions: 1) Was Washington a deist? 2) What was Washington's understanding of the term "Providence," a term which he used frequently? 3) Did Washington use Christianity only for civil and political purposes, while secretly maintaining a skepticism toward religion?

The Novaks (father and daughter) do an excellent and thorough job of answering all three questions. First of all, Washington was most certainly not a deist, in any understanding of the term. He believed that instead of God being aloof and "uninvolved" in the affairs of men, that instead God was actively interposing in history, and particularly in the affairs of the nascent United States. Washington appears to have understood "Providence" (perhaps his most frequent term for God) as being the sovereign God Jehovah described in the Bible and believed on by both Christians and Jews. He believed that Providence acted through men and circumstances to attain His Own will on earth. Last, he certainly seemed to be exceptionally consistent between his public and his private lives in his faith, beliefs, and actions, demonstrating fidelity and character in all that he did.

Part of the difficulty of researching the subject and obtaining a solid answer is that George Washington was exceptionally hesitant (by nearly any standard) to share what he believed—doctrinally, at least—in any public way, or even in most of his correspondence. His wife Martha destroyed all of their correspondence after his death, so that avenue of research is nonexistent. Furthermore, it seems that Washington took great pains to keep his religion in the background, so as not to offend any of the various religions in the new country (he, like most Virginians of his time and status, was Anglican); at the same time, he was to all a model "Christian" citizen, exemplifying virtue and upstanding character.

There is a great deal of background given into the religious atmosphere of Washington's day, especially the Anglican faith, and how followers of different denominations did or did not typically display their faith. There are also many quotations from Washington used to give weight to the Novaks' points of view. For those reasons alone, the book is useful.

Most of all, we see Washington as a model Christian, regardless of the specific doctrinal beliefs in his heart (which we will never know here on earth). His virtue and character were observed by many, and even his enemies, like Daniel's, could find nothing with which to accuse him. If we each modeled his character, our country would be so many times better off for it.

Get the book and read it. The Novaks did a great job.

Today is Independence Day!

I hope that all of us Americans remember that we live in the greatest nation on earth. It is great for many reasons, but first and foremost, because in the providence of God, He has made it so. America was founded on the principles of the Bible, apart from any single religious denomination; so long as it adheres to those principles, I believe God will preserve it and keep it the great nation which it is. May God continue to bless America.

Happy Independence Day!