Moses: A Man of Selfless Dedication

by Charles R. Swindoll

The remarkable pilgrimage of English poet William Cowper comes to mind whenever I think of a man coming to the end of his rope. Cowper found himself so deep in discouragement and despair he tried to put an end to it all by drinking poison. But God graciously led someone to find him. His stomach was pumped, and he was delivered. As soon as he recovered, the despairing writer hired a coach to take him down to the Thames River where he intended to plunge himself into the dark, swirling waters. The driver of the coach, however, would have none of it. He restrained Cowper, got him back into the coach, and drove him home. Frustrated with that attempt, he found a knife in the privacy of his home and attempted to fall upon it. If you can believe it, the blade broke. Still not deterred, he rigged up a rope in the basement, put his neck in the noose, and dropped into thin air. But someone found him before he strangled and took him down. He couldn’t even kill himself ! Finally, in the depth of sorrow, he drove himself to the Book of Romans. In the pages of that book, he found a passage which brought him to his knees, and to faith in Jesus Christ. Years later, as a mature man of God, Cowper penned this now-familiar hymn: 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.2