It’s true Jesus said things that seem odd or are difficult to understand. If you want to save your life then lose it. Anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. At one level we can read these things Jesus said (and many others) knowing what he means and then once we think about it for a bit we begin to wonder if we’ve understood at all.

It’s all well and good to talk about the sovereign hand of God when things are going great for us but what do we do when it seems as if life couldn’t get any worse?

William Cowper lived from 1731 to 1800 and during his life he wrote poems and hymns. One of William’s most memorable hymns was “God Moves in a Mysterious Way,” which he wrote in 1779.

As we have eyes to see we start to notice verses throughout Scripture where both the sovereignty and freedom of God are stated right alongside the responsibility and freedom of mankind. This characteristic holds true in Philippians 2:12-13.