God Moves in a Mysterious Way

Is a Christian hymn, written in 1773. First verse:

    "God moves in a mysterious way

    His wonders to perform;

    He plants His footsteps in the sea

    And rides upon the storm."

The first line of the hymn has become an adage or saying, used to justify unfortunate or inexplicable events, and is referenced in many literary works.

The words were composed by William Cowper (1731–1800).

His religious sentiment and association with John Newton (who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace") led to much of the poetry for which he is best remembered. His poem "Light Shining out of Darkness" gave English the phrase: "God moves in a mysterious way/His wonders to perform."

Of his friend Newton wrote years later:

‘one of the principle blessings of my life; a friend and a counsellor, in whose company for almost seven years, though we were seldom seven successive waking hours separated, I always found new pleasure.. . . daily admiring and trying to imitate him . . . I can hardly form an idea of a closer walk with God than he uniformly maintained. Communion with God and the good of His people seemed to be the only objects he had in view from the beginning to the end of the year.’

‘Of all men that I ever heard pray, no one equalled Mr Cowper.’

‘The Lord evidently sent him to Olney . . . where he has been a blessing to many, a great blessing to myself.’