Mysterious God  

   If you think the ways of God are mysterious, William Cowper knew it in the 18th century. 

   His mother died when he was six. He was teased and ridiculed by other kids. His father prevented him from marrying the girl he loved. 

   Forced to study law, Cowper panicked before his bar exam - and tried to commit suicide. After a year in an insane asylum, he was released into the care of a Christian couple. 

   He wrote poetry, and hymn writing became his therapy. Cowper often lapsed into depression. It's like his self-portrait in the "fearful saints" and "fresh courage" he wrote about in the hymn we will post here tomorrow. 

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   Then the Lord came down in the cloud ... And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. 

   'Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.' 

 - Exodus 34:5-7 

Tomorrow: God Moves in a Mysterious Way