"God Moves in a Mysterious Way" is a Christian

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

, written in 1773 by

William Cowper William Cowper ( ; 26 November 1731 – 25 April 1800) was an English poet and Anglican hymnwriter. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th-century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scen ...

from England. It was written by Cowper in 1773 as a poem entitled "Light Shining out of Darkness". The poem was the last hymn text that Cowper wrote. It was written following his attempted suicide while living at Olney in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

. John Newton published the poem the next year in his ''Twenty-six Letters on Religious Subjects; to which are added Hymns'' (1774).

Words

The words were composed by William Cowper (1731–1800). Constituting six verses, they were written in 1773, just before the onset of a

depressive illness Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Introd ...

, during which Cowper attempted suicide by drowning. The text was first published by Cowper's friend,

John Newton John Newton (; – 21 December 1807) was an English evangelical Anglican cleric and slavery abolitionist. He had previously been a captain of slave ships and an investor in the slave trade. He served as a sailor in the Royal Navy (after forc ...

, in his ''Twenty-six Letters on Religious Subjects; to which are added Hymns'' in 1774. The hymn was later published in ''

Olney Hymns The ''Olney Hymns'' were first published in February 1779 and are the combined work of curate John Newton (1725–1807) and his poet friend William Cowper (1731–1800). The hymns were written for use in Newton's rural parish, which was made up ...

'' which Cowper co-wrote with Newton. Entitled ''Conflict: Light Shining out of Darkness'', it was accompanied by a text from Saint John's Gospel, Chapter 13: Verse 7, which quotes

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

saying to his disciples; "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter." The first line of the hymn has become a proverb in modern times, usually phrased as "God moves in mysterious ways" or "the Lord moves in mysterious ways."

Music

Olney Parish Church, Stained Glass Window (1) - geograph

The hymn tune ''London New'' comes from ''The Psalmes of David in Prose and Meeter'' of 1635. In ''

Common Praise ''Hymns Ancient and Modern'' is a hymnal in common use within the Church of England, a result of the efforts of the Oxford Movement. The hymnal was first published in 1861. The organization publishing it has now been formed into a charitabl ...

'', it is in D major. A popular alternative and rather similar tune is ''Dundee'', which comes from the ''Scottish Psalter'' of 1615; the harmony was arranged by

Thomas Ravenscroft Thomas Ravenscroft ( – 1635) was an English musician, theorist and editor, notable as a composer of rounds and catches, and especially for compiling collections of British folk music. Little is known of Ravenscroft's early life. He prob ...

(1592–1635) in 1621. Other traditional tunes include: *''Manoah'', first published by

Henry Wellington Greatorex Henry Wellington Greatorex (1816 – September 1858) was an English-American musician. Career He was born in Burton upon Trent, England. He received a thorough musical education from his father, Thomas Greatorex, who was for many years organist o ...

in Boston, Massachusetts in 1843 but sometimes attributed to

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

, and ''Irish'' by

Charles Wesley Charles Wesley (18 December 1707 – 29 March 1788) was an English leader of the Methodist movement. Wesley was a prolific hymnwriter who wrote over 6,500 hymns during his lifetime. His works include " And Can It Be", " Christ the Lord Is Risen ...

, first published in 1749. *''St. Anne'', by Chapel Royal composer

William Croft William Croft (baptised 30 December 1678 – 14 August 1727) was an English composer and organist. Life Croft was born at the Manor House, Nether Ettington, Warwickshire. He was educated at the Chapel Royal under the instruction of John Blow ...

(1708) *''Union'', from ''Select Number of Plain Tunes'', by Andrew Law (1781). Much of the hymn became the lyrics of the theme song for the award-winning 2017 Danish television series ''Ride upon the Storm''.

Inclusion in other works

* Variation (4) on Old Psalm Tunes, Book 1, George Dyson * Saint Nicolas by

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

(1948

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

) – the final movement IX, ''The Death of Nicolas'' * ''Joy Beyond the Sorrow: Indelible Grace VI'', a 2012 album by

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

based artist collective, Indelible Grace''Joy Beyond the Sorrow: Indelible Grace VI'' – Indelible Grace Music
www.amazon.com, Accessed: 10 May 2014 * "Pity and Shame", a short story by Ursula K. Le Guin published in Tin House, June 7, 2018. https://tinhouse.com/pity-and-shame/

References

External links

Audio clips

St Nicholas – IX movement by Benjamin Britten

Video clips

St Nicolas IX movement
{{Authority control 1773 songs 1773 poems English Christian hymns Poetry by William Cowper 18th-century hymns