Light Shining Out of Darkness

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 sov’reign 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 flow’r.

Blind unbelief is sure to err,     

And scan His work in vain;

God is His own interpreter,   

And He will make it plain.

William Cowper (pronounced "Cooper"); English, 1779

*Lutherans would likely not express themselves in terms of a "frowning providence."  God is merciful, even when we cannot see it. The problem is we cannot see it.  Part of it is the sorrows and troubles of living in a broken world.  God does not automatically intervene at every turn. In addition, there are the blinders we have, such as Cowper's tendency towards depression (see below).  
     Gerard Manley Hopkins, also a poet of faith, also featured on this blog, once spoke of a heaven made of bronze, off of which his prayers bounced.  He was in circumstances that drained him and had that same sensation, though at some level, he always knew God loved him.

     A slightly altered version of this hymn/poem has appeared on this blog before.  I have recently had reason to look more closely at the life of Cowper.

     Cowper, though a man of faith, was plagued by periods of deep depression. At his time, there were no effective medications or psychotherapy.  Friends did the best they could to intervene, and he had to be institutionalized occasionally.

     Cowper was probably born with a somewhat sensitive temperament.  His mother died when he was six, giving birth to his youngest brother.  William and this brother, John, were the only two of his siblings to survive to adulthood.  Compounding this, his mother's maids lied, saying his mother had just gone away for awhile. Though William first disbelieved this, the maids persisted, falsely raising his hopes. When the truth sank in, he crashed further.  On top of this, he changed schools frequently as a child and was bullied somewhat.

     In adulthood, Cowper counted John Newton as a friend.  Newton had been a reprehensible slave trader.  He had a true conversion and wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace."

     Other public figures counted Cowper as a favorite poet. One was the authoress Jane Austen, who mentions him in some of her works. Another was William Wilberforce, who spearheaded British efforts to make slavery illegal.

      Here are some links/resources for further guidance:

       

Ella, George.  William Cowper: Poet Of Paradise by George Ella, published by Evangelical Press 1993

Wikipedia: William Cowper

Austen Connection "Faith, Science, Joy, … and Jane Austen!" (Cox, Brenda S.)
The Olney Hymns (Blair, Bob)